Congress accuses Modi govt of giving 1,050 acres of land to Adani ahead of Bihar polls

The Congress on Monday (September 15) accused the Modi government of giving away 1,050 acres of land in Bhagalpur, Bihar, to the Adani Group for setting up a power plant, a move the party claims was made as the BJP senses "imminent defeat" in the upcoming Assembly elections.

There was no immediate response from the Centre, the Bihar government, or the Adani Group regarding the allegations.

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Anticipating electoral loss?

Speaking at a press conference at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi, Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera alleged that the BJP routinely hands out "gifts" to businessman Gautam Adani whenever it anticipates electoral losses.

"In Bhagalpur’s Pirpainti area, 10 lakh trees and 1,050 acres of land have been handed over to the ‘rashtra seth’ Gautam Adani for a power plant, at a token lease of Rs 1 per year for 33 years,” Khera claimed. "When Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Bihar today, the villagers there have been placed under house arrest so that they cannot stage a protest," he claimed.

Khera further alleged a pattern stating that, "Before elections in Maharashtra, projects like the Dharavi redevelopment and a power plant were given to Adani. The same happened in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh." "This is a very long list, and whenever the BJP feels that we will lose the election, gifts are given to Gautam Adani beforehand," he alleged.

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'Double loot' of resources

Khera claimed that the 2,400-MW project, with an estimated budget of Rs 21,400 crore, was originally announced in the Union Budget as a government initiative. "Later, the government backed out and handed over the project to Adani," he claimed.

"A plant built on Bihar’s land, using its resources and coal, will generate electricity that will be sold back to Biharis at Rs 6 per unit — this is a case of double loot," he alleged.

Khera also criticised the BJP’s public campaigns like ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’, saying, "The same land that farmers consider sacred is now being leased for just Re 1. Farmers were intimidated, made to sign papers with pencils, and stripped of their land."

He further alleged that while electricity will be sold in Bihar at Rs 6.75/unit, the rate in states like Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh is between Rs 3 and Rs 4.

(With agency inputs)