After facing criticism over hosting industrialist Gautam Adani at the Invest Rajasthan summit, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said he would welcome any business tycoon bringing investments to the State and generating employment through industrial activities.
Mr. Gehlot, feeling the heat after his supporters stymied a Congress Legislature Party meeting recently, had deployed a mix of defiance and deference by rolling out the red carpet for Mr. Adani, often at the receiving end of former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s criticism, on Friday, after naming a flyover a day earlier marking Mr. Gandhi’s ongoing ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.
As the Opposition latched on to his perceived defiance, the Chief Minister told reporters on the concluding day of the summit, “Be it Gautam Adani or any Adani, or Ambani, we will welcome all of them here... We want employment, we want investment.” He pointed out that the summit was not a private event and the 3,000 delegates who attended it could have any political leanings.
Mr. Gandhi clarified at a press conference on the sidelines of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka’s Tumakuru district on Saturday that he was only opposed to the use of political power to help certain chosen businesses which could monopolise others. He said Mr. Adani has committed to an investment of ₹60,000 crore in Rajasthan. “No Chief Minister can refuse it. It would be wrong to refuse investment,” he said.
The Opposition BJP had described the bonhomie between Mr. Gehlot and Mr. Adani as a message to the Congress high command by the veteran leader. BJP MLA Vasudev Devnani said Mr. Gehlot had praised the industrialist in front of crores of citizens during the “last days of his unstable government”.
Mr. Gehlot condemned the BJP’s stand and said he failed to understand why it was opposing the summit. “How can they oppose the work being done for [ensuring] the bright future of the State? The youth will question them for opposing new employment opportunities and career prospects coming their way,” he said.
The naming of a 2.8-km-long elevated road in Jaipur city by Mr. Gehlot on Thursday as ‘Bharat Jodo Setu’ has also been perceived as an “act of deference”. Earlier known as Sodala elevated road, the flyover will reflect the spirit of Mr. Gandhi’s march and facilitate hassle-free traffic movement on a stretch between two important points in the State capital.
With the question of change of guard in Rajasthan still remaining open, MLAs of the Gehlot camp are waiting for a clear stand from the Congress’ central leadership. Sources in the State Congress unit said the MLAs were concerned about their political prospects in the run-up to the 2023 Assembly election and preparing to stake claim to tickets for the polls. Mr. Gehlot, meanwhile, has utilised the two-day mega event to consolidate his position.
