Adani builds a political bridge

At a CRISIL event shortly after the new Narendra Modi government took the oath of office, Adani called PV Narasimha Rao’s transformation of India’s economy ‘LPG’, standing for Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation.

Adani noted at the event that the reforms brought by the Congress government of 1991-96 pushed up GDP growth from 7% to 14%.

Adani remembers Congress was his launchpad

This could be Adani’s way to make peace with both sides after the Lok Sabha election’s fractured verdict. Adani had years ago said, while Congress's Rahul Gandhi was ranting day and night against him, that it was the oldest party's Chimanbhai Patel, the then-Gujarat chief minister who handed him the Mundra Port, which triggered Adani’s rise in the industry.

Further, defying Rahul Gandhi’s allegation of Prime Minister Modi’s cronyism, Congress’ state governments like those of Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan and Oommen Chandy in Kerala gave Adani a red-carpet welcome.

As Adani looks forward to greater infrastructure development, he is concerned about the energy that more infra will consume and that calls for favourable policies and laws. The ‘Infra Man of India’, Gautam Adani, hence urged cooperation of all governments.

Adani did not forget to appreciate the role governance played in his contribution to the economy in Modi Raj too. He is counting on
•    India adding a trillion dollars to its GDP every 1½ years
•    India becoming a 30 trillion-dollar economy by 2050
•    India adding 36 trillion dollars to its stock market capitalisation

For this, Adani would need a government-opposition collaboration.