After relentlessly attacking the BJP and accusing it of favouring businessman Gautam Adani, the Congress party refused to answer why its government in Telangana signed MoUs worth Rs 12,000 crores with the business conglomerate in Davos.
In a press conference, Congress leaders seemed to dodge answering the question about why the Telangana government signed MoUs with Adani.
When a journalist highlighted that while the Congress party has aggressively attacked the BJP government over Adani, then why did the Telangana government ink a deal with the business conglomerate in Davos, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram shifted the mics for spokesperson Supriya Shrinate to answer. However, Supriya, too, refused to answer, asserting that the press conference was held for the manifesto launch and questions should be limited to that topic only.
Reporter- Why Congress signed MoU with Adani in Telangana?
— Ankur Singh (@iAnkurSingh) January 17, 2024
Chidambaram- *Moves mike towards Shrinate"
Shrinate- *No Answer* pic.twitter.com/skdRCUzciQ
Notably, the party leaders were left red-faced after the Congress-led Telangana government on 17th January signed four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 12,400 crore with the Adani group at the sideline of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2024 in Davos, Switzerland.
According to a media release by Adani Group, the agreements were signed in the presence of Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, and Adani Group’s Chairman Gautam Adani. The MOUs signify a major stride towards fostering green, sustainable, inclusive, and transformative economic growth in the region.
In the first MOU, Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) has pledged to invest over Rs 5,000 crore in establishing a cutting-edge 100 MW data centre over the next 5-7 years. The data centre will prioritise sustainability and it will rely on renewable (green) energy sources for its operations. The initiative is expected to generate direct and indirect employment opportunities for 600 people. The AEL will collaborate with local Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and startups to develop a globally competitive supplier base for the project.
As part of the second MOU, Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) announced an investment of over Rs 5,000 crore for the establishment of two pump storage projects (PSPs) to bolster sustainable energy solutions. These projects will have capacities of 850 MW at Koyabestagudem and 500 MW at Nacharam.
The third MoU was signed by Ambuja Cements for an investment of Rs 1,400 crore to construct a state-of-the-art 6 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) cement plant in the next five years. The plant will be spread across 70 acres and it will increase Ambuja’s production capabilities, and offer employment opportunities for over 4,000 individuals, both directly and indirectly.
Additionally, Adani Defense Systems and Technologies Limited has pledged over Rs 1,000 crore for the next decade to set up counter-drone and missile facilities. The investment focuses on establishing a comprehensive ecosystem dedicated to the research, development, design, manufacturing, and integration of counter-drone and missile systems.
The Adani Aerospace Park will generate employment for over 1,000 people and serve as a hub for these critical defence capabilities contributing to India’s defence preparedness.
However, the business deals run counter to the long-drawn smear campaign run by Congress leaders, including former president Rahul Gandhi, who had accused the Centre of crony capitalism by favouring Adani and his companies.
Notably, according to Rahul Gandhi’s allegations, Gautam Adani’s wealth soared higher only because the Union and state governments (specifically accusing BJP) made quid pro quo deals with the business group and sold or leased strategic assets, opened new frontiers only for the business tycoon, while overlooking other business groups – favouritism. He further alleges that this is all done illegally to favour the Adani group. He had been trying to implicate Adani as a partner in crime with PM Modi coining the word MODANI by merging the names of Modi and Adani.
Even as Rahul Gandhi and Congress craft a political narrative for the upcoming general elections in 2024 that involves running a smear campaign against PM Modi and linking Adani’s economic rise to favouritism by the Centre as a centrepiece of their poll strategy, their party leaders and alliance partners continue to ink deals with the business conglomerate to fulfil their election guarantees and realise growth plans.
