Rajasthan hasn't used political power to help Adani: Rahul Gandhi

A day after attacking Gautam Adani, top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday defended party-led Rajasthan government's invite to the billionaire industrialist to invest in the state, saying the dispensation has not used any political power to help him expand his business empire.

Insisting that he is not against corporate or businesses but monopolisation of businesses by a chosen few with the help of Narendra Modi government, he said he would stand in opposition against his own party-led government if it goes out of the way to help Adani or any other corporate.

His response came to questions on Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot sharing dais with Adani at an investor summit and Rahul found fault with the "second richest man in the world", saying he rose in the list of richest like a rocket but at the cost of the poor and middle-class who were burdened by price rise and corruption.

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Defending the Rajasthan government, he said Adani has committed Rs 60,000 crore to the state and no Chief Minister can refuse such an offer.

"In fact, it would not be correct for a Chief Minister to refuse such an offer. My contention is in the use of political power to help certain chosen businesses. My opposition is to 2 or 3 or 4 large businesses being helped politically to monopolise every single business in the country. That is where my opposition is. I am in no way against the corporates, I am in no way against the businesses," he said.

"But I am against the complete monopolisation of Indian businesses because that weakens the country. Today what we are seeing, what is being done by the BJP government is complete monopolisation of all businesses by helping a chosen few businesses. That is my problem. Finally, the Rajasthan government has not used political power to help Adani in the state. The day do that I will be standing in opposition," he added.

The BJP had targeted Congress on Gehlot sharing dais with Adani though Rahul has been vocal about corporates, calling it a tight slap on the face of Congress High Command.

In Jaipur on Saturday, Gehlot said the investment meet was not a private programme and around 3,000 delegates attended it. "In such a situation, why do they (BJP) want to create a hurdle? I condemn these people. They talked about Gautam Adani yesterday (Friday). Be it Gautam Adani or any Adani, or Ambani or Amit Shah's son Jay Shah, we will welcome all of them here. We want employment, we want investment," he said.

It was, however, not clear why Gehlot clubbed Jay Shah's name along with industrialists Adani and Ambani, as he is not known for having any major business interests, PTI reported.

Addressing a public gathering at Mandya's Adichunchanagiri on Friday, Rahul said, “if money is going out of your pockets, whose pocket is it going to? Money doesn't disappear. If it is going out of your pocket, it is going to someone else. The second richest man in the world is close to the Prime Minister of India. He never used to be the second richest man in the world. In fact, he was not even in the list. Imagine, suddenly there is a list of 100 richest people and this man has gone like a rocket in the list.”

Rahul has been maintaining this view for some time but the choice of referring to Adani in his speech during the Bharat Jodo Yatra came as the BJP and his detractors pointed out to Gehlot hosting Adani at the Rajasthan Investors Meet to attack the former Congress president.