Is Congress' Opposition To Adani A Form Of Extortion, Asks BJP MP

Alleging that Congress MLAs in his constituency are taking money from, and promoting, Adani Group companies, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Saturday wondered whether the party's opposition to the group was a form of extortion or a pressure tactic. 

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Dubey posted photos of plaques in Hindi from various projects which state that they had been carried out courtesy Adani Power and on the recommendation of Deepika Pandey Singh, the Congress MLA from Mahagama in Jharkhand. Mr Dubey is the Lok Sabha MP from Jharkhand's Godda. 

Mr Dubey also took the name of Congress MLA Pradeep Yadav from the Poraiyahat constituency stating that he does the same thing. Both the Mahagama and Poraiyahat assembly constituencies come under the Godda Lok Sabha seat.

In a Hindi post, addressed to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Mr Dubey said, "Rahul Gandhi ji, could it be that the Congress' opposition to Adani is a form of extortion or a pressure tactic? Congress MLAs Deepika Pandey Singh and Pradeep Yadav from my constituency have, in several places, taken money from Adani and are promoting it. This is like speaking with a forked tongue. Have some shame, Congress!"

राहुल गांधी @RahulGandhi जी@INCIndia का अडानी विरोध कहीं Extortion या दबाव डालना तो नहीं है,मेरे लोकसभा में कॉंग्रेस के विधायक दीपिका जी,प्रदीप यादव जी जगह जगह अडानी से पैसे लेकर उनका प्रचार कर रहे हैं ।मुँह में राम बग़ल में छुरी,कॉंग्रेस शर्म करो pic.twitter.com/38oCw0n1je

— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) October 21, 2023

The three photos with the post show projects related to a pool and two temples and all three have plaques with the names of Adani Power and MLA Singh.

This is not the first time that the BJP has brought up Adani Group projects in Congress-ruled areas. Earlier this week, after Rahul Gandhi cited a Financial Times report and blamed the Adani Group for the rise in electricity prices, the BJP's National Information Department In-Charge Amit Malviya had dared him to walk the talk on the conglomerate's projects in Congress-ruled states.

"Adani has power projects in Congress-ruled Karnataka, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh among others. Now that Rahul Gandhi has figured out the reason why they have to give 'subsidies' in these states, he should ensure that Congress governments act against Adani and not protect him. Let him walk the talk," he had posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"After doing an entire press conference, Rahul Gandhi still thinks it is just an 'interesting' idea to initiate probe into what he claimed was over-invoicing, leading to rise in power tariff. You need to be either daft or delusional to think that people are fools and can't see through such gimmicks," he had added.

In June, Karnataka Industries Minister MB Patil had said that the state was open to investments by the Adani Group and would "give time" to the conglomerate to "come up with proposals".

(Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.)