A day after industrialist Gautam Adani’s meeting with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar raised eyebrows, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Friday said his party would have “no objection” even if Mr. Adani “went to live in Mr. Pawar’s home.”
The Congress, the NCP and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) are in alliance in the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition in the State.
“Mr. Pawar’s party is different. He is not of the Congress party. We have come together [forming the MVA] to defeat the BJP. Who Mr. Pawar meets, what his opinions are, whom he wishes to support is his question… the Congress has nothing to do with it,” Mr. Patole said, remarking drily that his party would have “no reason to object” even if Mr. Adani went to live with Mr. Pawar.
Mr. Patole was speaking to reporters in Mumbai’s Tilak Bhawan during the course of a two-day review meet being held to assess the party’s preparedness in Lok Sabha seats across the State.
The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief further said that while there was “no personal enmity” between Mr. Adani and the Congress party, the questions raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the relationship between PM Narendra Modi and the industrialist were important.
“What is the relationship between Mr. Modi and Mr. Adani? Why are all companies being sold to Adani only? The demand of the Congress is that the Adani scam should be investigated by a joint parliamentary committee [JPC]. Why is the Modi government not accepting this demand? As this is a question involving the taxpayer’s money, the Congress will continue to ask questions… if anyone [alluding to Mr. Pawar] wants to have personal relations with Adani, that is their issue,” said Mr. Patole.
Mr. Adani, the industrialist widely perceived to be closest to the ruling BJP, met with Mr. Pawar at the latter’s residence ‘Silver Oak’ in Mumbai on Thursday night.
In April, Mr. Pawar had created a flutter among Opposition parties when he had opposed the JPC on the report on the Adani Group by research firm Hindenburg. Instead, Mr. Pawar advocated a committee appointed by the Supreme Court.
However, he later said he would not oppose a JPC probe for the sake of “maintaining Opposition unity.”
Mr. Pawar is known for his strong affinity with Mr. Adani. Just last year, Mr. Adani had been invited to the Pawar clan’s bastion of Baramati as chief guest for a programme.
In his 2015 autobiography Lok Maze Sangati, Mr. Pawar had lavished praises on Mr. Adani’s enterprise and hard work.
