PM Modi's veiled dig at Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury: 'My Adani-Ambani remark validated by...'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took a jibe at Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury by saying that his 'Adani-Ambani' remark has further been validated by Chowdhury as he admitted that he will not speak against Adani-Ambani if they send 'tempo-loads of money.'

"My point was instantly validated by none other than the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury admitted that if Adani-Ambani sent tempo-loads of money, he would not speak against them," the prime minister told PTI in an interview.

He said the fight against corruption is serious and the investigative agencies should work without interference. He added that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) operate independently.

On May 8, during the Lok Sabha elections, PM Modi accused the Congress for the first time of having a connection with Ambani and Adani. He questioned whether the party received "loads of black money" from the two businessmen to make Rahul Gandhi stop "abusing" them.

Asked about the remark which had taken people by surprise, Modi told PTI, "For the past few years, the main campaign plank of Congress' 'shehzada' (prince) had been singing the same tune about two people. And suddenly, as the election began, the main campaign plank has shifted. Why this sudden change?"

"They have done an excellent job in tackling cases of corruption and black money. Before 2014, the ED attached only Rs 5,000 crore. In my tenure, assets worth Rs 1 lakh crore have been attached. The battle against corruption is a serious one. We must allow our agencies to do their work without interference," Modi said.

In a shift on the 'Ambani-Adani' issue, which Congress had used to criticize Modi and his government, the PM Modi demanded that Congress explain why it stopped raising the issue after their "prince" had done so for five years. He asked if they had made a deal. Congress has accused the Prime Minister of favoring top industrialists, including Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani.