2024-05-10 10:38:41
New Delhi: The political temperature is high in the country due to Lok Sabha elections. Political parties have intensified the war of words against each other. While addressing a public meeting in Karimnagar, Telangana on May 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has stopped taking the names of industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani after the announcement of Lok Sabha elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his speech, ‘Friends, you must have seen that for the last five years, the prince of Congress (Rahul Gandhi) starts chanting the rosary as soon as he wakes up in the morning. Ever since his Rafale case got grounded, he has started praying a new rosary. For five years they used to chant only one thing – five industrialists (3), then gradually they started saying Ambani-Adani (3). But since the elections have been declared, they have stopped abusing Ambani-Adani. Today I want to ask the land of Telangana that the prince should declare how much wealth he has collected from Ambani and Adani, how many sacks of black money he has filled and whether the notes have reached the Congress for the tempo? What’s the deal? You stopped abusing Adani-Ambani overnight. There is definitely something black in the lentils!..’
(PM Modi’s remarks can be heard at time slot 39:00-41:24.)
An almost two-minute long video of PM Modi’s same comment has also been shared on his account (formerly Twitter). of post archive version See here.
But PM Modi’s claim that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has stopped taking the names of Adani-Ambani after the announcement of elections is wrong. Logical Facts has analyzed Rahul Gandhi’s speeches from March 17 to May 8 after the announcement of Lok Sabha elections. Looked and found that he has mentioned Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani in more than 25 rallies.
investigation
Logical Facts visited Congress’s official website (archive version), YouTube channel (archive version), and Rahul Gandhi’s YouTube channel (archive version) to watch the speeches from March 17 to May 8.
In the month of May alone, Rahul Gandhi has so far held six rallies in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, in which he has been seen taking the name of Adani-Ambani in almost every rally.
Addressing a public meeting in Singhbhum, Jharkhand on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, Rahul Gandhi said, ‘Adani is the name, you know, he has an eye on your water, forest and land and Narendra Modi works for him and Adani ji wants, Narendra Modi ji wants this book (Constitution) to end and his rule should continue without this book. We will never let this happen.
This part can be seen between 3:09 to 3:40 in the video. View the archive version here.
On the same day, in Gumla, Jharkhand, Rahul Gandhi said, ‘BJP says that you are a forest dweller, then it gives the entire forest to Adani.. Just think why they gave you this name, on one hand they tell you that you are a forest dweller. On the other hand, they are destroying the forest. When the forest will end, they will tell you that you were a forest dweller, now there is no forest, there is no place for you. He further says, “Whatever he does, he does for the billionaires. He has 22-25 friends like Adani-Ambani. The entire work is done for them. The land is theirs, the forests are theirs, media, infrastructure, petrol, The roads and bridges are theirs.
This part can be seen between 24:09 to 26:22 in the video. View the archive version here.
Addressing a public meeting in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh on May 6, 2024, he said that BJP wants to abolish the Constitution. If the Constitution ends, then whatever rights the people have, all those rights will end and India will be ruled by 22-25 people. He further said, ‘Who are these people? These are the billionaires of India, people like Adani, who have their eyes on your forests, land and your water. They want that your water, forests and land should be taken away from you and handed over to them and they are special friends of Narendra Modi ji.
He further says, ‘You have heard the name of Adani, the Prime Minister wants to give your land, your water and your forest to Adani.’
This part can be seen at the time period 14:35 to 15:55 in the video. View the archive version here.
Rahul Gandhi also repeated these things in rallies in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh on May 6 (archive version) and in Pune, Maharashtra on May 3.
We found that in April, Rahul Gandhi held rallies in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. In almost all these rallies he mentioned Adani-Ambani.
On April 26, in Bellary, Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi said, ‘BJP gives the country’s wealth to the elected people. You know the names, Narendra Modi ji has handed over the country’s capital to people like Adani. They (BJP) give money to the rich, we will give money to the poor.
This part can be seen from 4:00 to 4:40 in the video. View the archive version here.
Earlier, on April 8, 2024, in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, Rahul Gandhi targeted the BJP government and said, ‘Congress party governments gave you back your land and gave you the rights to the land and we keep doing this. What does BJP do, wherever they get a chance, they snatch the land of tribals and hand it over to billionaires like Adani ji.
This part can be seen between 6:55 and 7:30 in the video.
On April 12, Rahul Gandhi in Tamil Nadu accused PM Modi of handing over ports, airports, electric energy, wind energy, solar energy, defense industry to Adani and said, ‘Two or three big industrialists, none of whom are from Tamil Nadu. Has, gets all the contracts, all the benefits. Every single industry is being handed over to him only because Adani is close to the Prime Minister and helps the Prime Minister. View the archive version here.
A day after the announcement of Lok Sabha elections, on March 17, at the ‘India Alliance’ rally during ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Manzil’ in Mumbai, Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Modi for handing over Mumbai Airport to Adani. View the archive version here.
Our investigation also revealed that Rahul Gandhi has been criticizing the media by mentioning the marriage of Ambani’s son in many of his rallies.
Decision
From our investigation so far, it has become clear that PM Modi’s claim that Rahul Gandhi has stopped taking the names of Ambani-Adani in his speeches is wrong. Since the announcement of Lok Sabha elections in March, Rahul Gandhi has been continuously targeting PM Modi through Adani-Ambani.
(This story was originally published by Logically Facts, and republished by NBT as part of the Shakti Collective.)