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'Adani And Modi Are One': Rahul Gandhi Slams Centre During Plenary Session

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressed party delegates on the third and final day of the party's plenary session on Sunday

Rahul Gandhi asks why BJP leaders came to the defence of Adani in Parliament
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Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the party will keep asking questions about Gautam Adani till the truth comes out, while delivering his speech at the third day of the party's 85th plenary session. While alleging that "Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are one", he questioned why BJP leaders came to the defence of the billionaire in Parliament.

"I criticised Gautam Adani in Parliament and asked what relationship he has with PM Modi. The government and its ministers came to the defence of the businessman," Gandhi said. He further asked why the government cannot agree to a joint parliamentary committee probe into the allegations against the Adani Group.

"Adani ji works in the defense industry but the government does not know that Adani has shell companies abroad. Why is the investigation not happening, why not JPC? It is a matter of defense of the country," Gandhi said. 

The Congress has been targeting the Centre over the Adani issue, alleging that Centre was "running away" from a JPC probe and said such an investigation be allowed if the government has nothing to hide in the matter.

Gandhi calls out Jaishankar's China remarks

Rahul Gandhi also reacted to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's remarks regarding China's economy. "EAM said in an interview that India has a smaller economy than China, so how can we fight them? Was our economy very big when we were fighting with the Britishers?" Gandhi said.

Jaishankar had defended India's policy on China amid the tensions along the LoC. "They are the bigger economy. What am I going to do? As a smaller economy, I am going to sort of go pick a fight with a bigger economy? It's not a question of reacting to it. It's a question of common sense," he said.

In response, Rahul Gandhi said today that the minister's question of how to take on China is not nationalism but cowardice.

His address also focussed on the Bharat Jodo Yatra. "52 years have passed, and I still don’t have a home, but when reached Kashmir, it felt like home. The yatra was to make people of all castes and age groups feel at home. People were not talking about political things to me during the yatra, but it all changed when I reached Kashmir,” Gandhi said while speaking about the Yatra led by him. 

(With PTI inputs)