New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday (May 9) dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the next logical step of ordering a thorough investigation against Adani and Ambani, whom he described as “hoarders of black money”.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, “After protecting corruption for 10 years, Modi developed the courage to expose the corruption of Adani and Ambani. He might have gathered the courage seeing Rahul Gandhi, who was attacking corporate loot and corruption even as he doesn’t hold any [governmental] post.”
“He [Gandhi] is not scared of anybody. So, Modi also mustered courage and made a big and serious allegation about Adani and Ambani. He said they fill tempos with bags of cash (black money) and distribute them. Having said that, Adani and Ambani supply black money in tempos, Modi must now send the Enforcement Directorate, CBI, and the Income Tax [Department] to investigate how so much black money was amassed. What’s the point in getting scared now and retracing the step? Don’t be afraid now, unleash your agencies. Let the raids start.”
Arguing that no prime minister ever appeared so weak and helpless, Shrinate said, “Look at the irony. The prime minister is publicly saying that these two businessmen are distributing black money in tempos, but the law enforcement agencies are aloof. The media, the enlightened media… is not bothered. Please have some respect for the prime minister. Such a big revelation made by the prime minister himself and the media, which acted like a sycophant of the prime minister, fell silent.”
“Have they not heard what the prime minister said? Or, [have] they decided to ignore? But the prime minister should not worry. The Congress is standing behind him. Send the agencies to raid Adani and Ambani. We support you. Let the nation know how much black money they have stashed.”
Also read: Narendra Modi Is Right, Adani-Ambani Should Be an Important Poll Issue
She also claimed that Modi’s revelations have triggered panic in the BJP.
“[BJP] leaders are wondering if Modi can dump his best friends, Adani and Ambani, during a crisis, who are they? Amit Shah is also rattled, thinking how will Modi protect him if he can desert Adani, Ambani. Even the bureaucrats are frightened; they are seeking return to their original cadre. Editors and journalists are also confused about what to show, what to ignore. They can’t freely run Modi’s speech because he has started attacking Ambani and Adani,” she added.
Modi alleged that the Congress could have received “chori ka maal” or “black money” from Adani and Ambani as part of a deal.
He also talked about a quid pro quo, claiming that Gandhi had stopped attacking Adani and Ambani after the announcement of elections, which could be the result of the Congress party’s deal with them. Congress leaders opined that it was incumbent upon the central agencies to register cases against Adani and Ambani and initiate an investigation on the basis of the prime minister’s statement because possessing black money is a serious crime.
The BJP, surprisingly, didn’t pick up the issue, falling completely silent on Adani and Ambani after the prime minister’s remarks.
While Modi has not addressed any public rally on Thursday, senior leaders like Shah and J.P. Nadda didn’t refer to Adani and Ambani, and black money.
Usually, the entire Sangh parivar ecosystem reacts strongly to whatever Modi says, but this issue was dropped like a hot coal. It is to be seen whether the prime minister persists with this exceptional line of attack on the Congress or changes track. If he doesn’t repeat his charge, it will be presumed that Modi made an error by describing Adani and Ambani as “hoarders of black money”.
Also read: The Undeniable Rise of Oligarchic Capitalism in Modi’s India
However, the Congress said Modi was compelled to speak on the Adani-Ambani issue because of Gandhi’s persistent attacks on corporate loot and crony capitalism.
Shrinate said Modi vindicated Gandhi’s line and asserted that this change happened because the prime minister knows he is going out of power.
The Congress flooded its social media platforms with messages, memes, and cartoons on this subject, apart from putting up photographs of Modi using Adani’s plane before becoming the prime minister.
One of the messages said, “Adani Tempo Service: We transport black money.”
The party’s communications chief, Jairam Ramesh, said, “It’s 1 pm and no torrent of lies from the Lying King Narendra Modi as yet. What’s happening? Why is the tempo so low? Is he mollifying his two friends after publicly disclosing their black money hoarding habits yesterday?”
It’s 1 PM and no torrent of lies from The Lying King @narendramodi as yet. What is happening? Why is his ‘tempo’ so low? Is he mollifying his two friends after publicly disclosing their black money hoarding habits yesterday?
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 9, 2024
