NEW DELHI: In the lead up to Maharashtra election, Gautam Adanis link with the BJP-led coalition at the Center and in the state was a key theme, whether it was the allocation of Dharavi Redevelopment Project or Rahul Gandhis jibe at the BJP’s ‘ek hain to safe hain’ slogan by bringing the businessman into the picture.
Be it Uddhav Thackeray’s reference to ‘Adani ki sultani’ or the Gandhi crop and his sister Priyanka’s claims of overthrowing the BJP Maha Vikas Aghadi government to favor the ports-to-power conglomerate, Adani was the focus of the alliance. Sharad Pawar was the only one who had tried to soften the attack on Adani.
However, MVA’s accusations do not seem to have clicked with voters. While the US Justice Department’s indictment of Adani and his nephew Sagar in a bribery case is expected to give ammunition to the BJP’s rivals in the winter session of Parliament, the outcome of the vote has taken a sting out of the opposition’s campaign.
Although the redevelopment of Dharavi was initially conceived by the BJP-Shiv Sena government, it was the Devendra Fadnavis-led coalition that got the project moving in 2016. CM Eknath Shinde has said the project was awarded to Adani by the MVA government. While Congress’s Jyoti Gaikwad fended off her Sena opponent in Dharavi, the haze over the project is expected to lift as Thackeray had promised to terminate the contract.
Rahul’s attack is a critical component of his now-familiar toolbox, in which he seeks to link companies like those run by the Adanis and Ambanis with the BJP, despite the scheme failing to gain traction with a majority of voters for over a decade. In 2019, his attempts to portray Anil Ambani as the biggest beneficiary of the Rafale deal had also failed to impress voters. Still, he and his allies have refused to give it up.
Unlike Anil Ambani, who is now left with a fraction of what he had inherited, Adani has seen his empire expand. Even INDIA’s state governments, which have been actively courting Adani to attract investment, are unlikely to change their strategy, even if Rahul can pull out the brochures again.