The TNGIM 2024 meet, which took place on 7th and 8th January 2024, brought in a slew of new investments to the state. The meet also brought with it many controversies. The opposition parties in Tamil Nadu, mainly the Tamil Nadu BJP, were critical of the background of the investing companies and the reported inconsistencies in the investments. While the DMK, who have spoken so much against corporatisation in the past, have welcomed global investors with open arms now but also have changed their stand against Adani Group as well.
To Oppose Or Not To Oppose?
Ironically, the news of Adani group’s ₹42, 768 crore investment plans in Tamil Nadu gave a boost to the company’s stocks. However, this is not the first time that the DMK government has been friendly towards the Adani group despite alleging them of scams and crony capitalism in the public. Earlier in 2021, a MoU was signed with Adani Enterprises for establishing a data centre in Chennai. The CM MK Stalin, who was vocal in opposing the Kattupalli port expansion project near Chennai, has not committed to cancelling the expansion and the stand of the government remains ambiguous until now.
1 லட்சம் மீனவர்களின் வாழ்வாதாரம், 35 லட்சம் மக்களுக்கு வெள்ள அபாயம், பழவேற்காடு ஏரியின் பகுதிகள் அழியும் சூழல் என தமிழகத்தில் பொருளாதார – சூழலியல் பாதிப்புகளை உருவாக்கும் அதானி குழும காட்டுப்பள்ளி துறைமுக விரிவாக்கத்திற்கு அதிமுக – பாஜக அரசுகள் உதவுவது ஏன்?#StopAdaniSavePulicat pic.twitter.com/qhrtFP8yez
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) January 13, 2021
The DMK and the ADMK had both promised to scrap the expansion project if elected to power in the 2021 assembly elections. However, DMK is yet to take action on the project after winning the election with a good majority. In the past three years, there were two public hearings planned and both were cancelled after public outcry.
The Tamil Nadu CM even called the PM’s speech in the parliament as ‘rhetoric’ when the opposition parties demanded an explanation about the Hindenburg report of Adani Group. CM Stalin’s son and TN Sports Minister Udhayanidhi has a long history of attacking Adani.
Here are a few other times when MK Stalin and his DMK peddled canards against Adani.
In 2018, MK Stalin had said “Wind power scam, coal procurement scam. What is the reason why the ADMK government has turned the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board into a “hell land” of mega scams and is now offering to import coal to a company like Adani at a price of more than 150% without issuing a tender?”
காற்றாலை மின்சார ஊழல்,
நிலக்கரி கொள்முதல் ஊழல் என
மெகா ஊழல்களின் “நரக பூமியாக” தமிழ்நாடு மின்சார வாரியத்தை மாற்றிவிட்டு, தற்போது டெண்டரே விடாமல் அதானி போன்ற நிறுவனத்திடம் 150% க்கும் அதிகமான விலையில் நிலக்கரி இறக்குமதி செய்ய அ.தி.மு.க அரசு முன்வந்திருப்பதன் காரணம் என்ன? pic.twitter.com/vaimw8mnJb— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) October 11, 2018
In 2020, Palanivel Thiagarajan (Finance Minister turned IT Minister now) who was back then the DMK IT Wing chief said “BJP Govt in partnership with corporate friends like Adani, Ambani, promotes monolithic capitalism hostile to public and other businessmen”
"அதானி, அம்பானி போன்ற கார்ப்பரேட் நண்பர்களுடன் கூட்டு சேர்ந்து, பொதுமக்களுக்கும் – வணிகர்களுக்கும் விரோதமான ஒற்றை முதலாளித்துவத்தை ஊக்குவிக்கிறது பாஜக அரசு"
– @DMKITwing செயலாளர் Dr @ptrmadurai MLA குற்றச்சாட்டு.
Audio: https://t.co/aAZSiwQA2j
Video: https://t.co/rJVz85CoAD pic.twitter.com/4ipfXYxeD8
— DMK IT WING (@DMKITwing) December 16, 2020
The Path Of The Allies
One of the main allies of the DMK, Chidambaram MP and the Chief of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) party, Thol. Thirumavalavan has also spoken about Adani in length. In a viral video, he says, ‘Modi party/BJP spreads hatred politics and invests everything to Adani (sic). Modi is not a leader who works hard for Hindus, but he works hard for his benami Adani. Adani is a newly created billionaire by Modi. He cannot directly do business, he cannot be a capitalist, he cannot own a business, so he created Adani as a benami. He created him when he was the CM, he gave him free electricity, thousands of acres of land and created him as a businessman. Whatever assets he earned during his tenure as CM is under Adani’s name, and all the assets he is earning during his tenure now as PM are also under Adani’s name. Modi might not have a family, he may act as a sage who does not seek wealth, but all his assets are under Adani’s name. Adani is Modi’s benami, we should understand that.’
When will .@BJP4TamilNadu take on these political pimps? pic.twitter.com/flBX0mQCtI
— Vishwatma 🇮🇳 (@HLKodo) March 25, 2021
The CPIM, an alliance partner of the DMK, has also had many run-ins with the Adani group in the past and has maintained double standards regarding the Adani group. While the Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan vehemently opposed the Adani takeover of the Thiruvananthapuram airport, the party fought with Congress to take credit for the mega port constructed in Vizhinjam. The party even went to the extent of calling the Supreme Court’s verdict in Hindenburg-Adani case as ‘disappointing‘, just a few days ago. The TN CPIM conducted a massive rally against the proposed Adani port at Kanyakumari as a part of Sagarmala Project. However, despite expressing such strong views against corporatisation and Adani in particular, the TN CPIM has maintained silence regarding such investments meet, Kattupalli expansion project and Adani investments in the state.
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