'PM Modi playing with fire, Adani his proxy’: Telangana minister KTR's scathing attack
Rao's remarks came a day after the daughter of chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, or KCR, was summoned to Delhi by the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in the alleged scam over the capital's liquor excise policy.
Telangana minister KT Rama Rao on Thursday attacked prime minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party over the Adani crisis, calling Gautam Adani a 'proxy' of the PM and declaring 'intimidation tactics' would not work in the southern state, which is scheduled to hold an Assembly election this year as a fierce stand-off brews between the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi and the BJP.
The minister, popularly called KTR, also slammed Modi for remaining silent amid the controversy surrounding Adani, who is from the prime minister's home state of Gujarat.
"Why does the PM not speak of allegations against him, on Adani? We're saying Gautam Adani is a proxy of Narendra Modi. Will he (Modi) take a lie detector test? Does he have the guts to come in front of the country? Is everyone in BJP a brother of Raja Harishchandra (a reference to the iconic silent movie from 1913)?" KTR was quoted by news agency ANI.
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He also slammed the BJP for a political vendetta and warned Modi he is 'playing with fire'.
"Are all BJP people clean? Harassment, political vendetta and intimidation might work elsewhere for Narendra Modi. He is playing with fire and I'm sure he'll realise it in days to come. The double engine he talks about - economic engine is Adani, political engine is Modi," the Telangana leader said.
The Adani Group furore broke in January, after short-seller Hindenburg Research accused it of stock manipulation; the report triggered a massive fall in Adani's fortune and his companies lost over $120 billion as a result. The crisis also triggered a row in Parliament.
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The opposition called for a detailed probe into Hindenburg's allegations and a statement from the prime minister, whose government was accused of favouring the tycoon. The Supreme Court has ordered an expert panel on this issue.
Rao's remarks came a day after the daughter of chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, or KCR, was summoned to Delhi by the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in the alleged scam over the capital's liquor excise policy.
The ED has already arrested Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia - who quit as Delhi's deputy chief minister and excise minister after he was taken into custody - in this case and, this week, also arrested a Hyderabad-based businessman, Arun Pillai, who is reportedly an aide of K Kavitha.
Sisodia's arrest triggered massive protests by the opposition, which has repeatedly accused the BJP of using central agencies - like the ED - to harass and target rivals, particularly ahead of elections.
K Kavitha, a Member of the Legislative Council, is due to appear Saturday.
She was named in the liquor excise policy case as part of a 'South group' that allegedly paid ₹100 crore to the AAP. She issued a statement Wednesday on her summons, slamming 'power-mongers in Delhi' and said Telangana would never bow before an 'oppressive anti-people' regime.
