Adani Row: Sitharaman Questions RaGa's Silence On Rajasthan, Kerala Projects

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday launched a scathing attack against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his allegations on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Adani issue. Sitharaman called Gandhi's allegations ''baseless'' and described him as a "repeat offender" in levelling such charges. "If Rahul Gandhi truly believes Adani has been given all of these things (undue favours), it is not true," Sitharaman said during a press conference at the State BJP office here. "Let me also say that he is now a repeat offender when it comes to making baseless allegations against the Prime Minister." We saw him do it before the 2019 elections, and now he's doing it again. "He doesn't seem to learn anything from all of these false accusations he wants to level against the Prime Minister," she said.

Sitharaman also sought to know why Gandhi did not raise a voice against the "undue favour" to Adani by the Kerala government and a solar power project to the company in Rajasthan.

#WATCH | "If any crony capitalism is happening, it is happening in Congress-led governments, and Rahul Gandhi will not speak a word about it...," says Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as she hits out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. pic.twitter.com/z4oZNuDkH2 — ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2023

"It was the (then) Congress government (in Kerala), which gave on a platter Vizhinjam Port to Adani. It was not given on the basis of any tender. Now this is not this (Congress) government but the CPM government. But what stopped him from asking and demanding that Kerala cancel that order?" Sitharaman said.

The "entire solar power project" has been given to Adani in (Congress-ruled) Rajasthan. "What stops Rahul Gandhi?"

Noting that Adani got projects in Chhattisgarh also, she said crony capitalism was happening in Congress governments. "I challenged him (Rahul Gandhi) to tear the orders and cancel those orders. Why doesn't he tear off that Rajasthan agreement with Adani saying 'no solar power here. No way, you are Modi-Adani Bhai Bhai. We don't want ?Modi Adani Bhai Bhai' in Rajasthan," the Finance Minister said.

"If there is any crony capitalism is happening, it is happening in Congress-led governments and Rahul Gandhi did not speak a word about it", she alleged.

Sitharaman also recalled that Gandhi had to give written apologies twice. "In 2019, while making allegations during Rafale aircraft procurement, you were giving such statements against the Prime Minister, that you had to seek an apology in the Supreme Court," the Minister pointed out.

"Today he is saying 'I am Gandhi, not Savarkar' . Does he remember the two apologies he gave earlier?? she asked.

The opposition and the government are at loggerheads over US firm Hindenburg`s report on the Adani group where the former is demanding the setting up of a JPC to probe the issue while the latter has been demanding an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks during his UK trip.