Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday asked whether Rahul Gandhi will speak against Sharad Pawar as he met with Gautam Adani on Saturday in Ahmedabad. Calling this a politics of convenience and blackmail, Himanta said he (Rahul Gandhi) blackmails in the name of a businessman so that the businessman gives money to the Congress. “That’s why he takes Adani’s name repeatedly. But his ally Sharad Pawar was seen at Adani’s house. Will he speak against Sharad Pawar. You can judge the double standardness of Rahul Gandhi. If I had been seen with Adani today, he would have finished me right and left,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

“Just imagine the scenario that a central minister of the NDA government going to a place to inaugurate something of Adani’s today. What would have been the reaction of the Congress? Now why is silent when Sharad Pawar is repeatedly seen with Adani? It is a politics of convenience, it is a politics of blackmailing,” the Assam chief minister said.

Both Rahul Gandhi and Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday attended a media conclave on Sunday. “He is talking about money and businessman in a platform where he should talk about poverty, his so-called idea about India. You can just imagine how desperate he is,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Speaking at The Conclave 2023, Rahul Gandhi said, “The BJP has basically created a friendly monopolist. His name is Mr Adani. I assume you have heard his name. You are even a bit hesitant. Essentially BJP is handing over the key industries in our country to this gentleman. And he also controls a significant chunk of the media in the country. While there are other monopolists as well, he is the main one. There is a massive concentration of wealth that this gentleman has and there is a huge amount of money that the BJP is generating from this. So there is media control, then there is financial control. Please go and ask any businessman what happens to them if they support an opposition party, if they were to write a cheque for any opposition party. So we are facing a financial attack and a media attack. And we are doing pretty well. We have banded together. I have not seen the opposition working like this before.”