Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani met Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar at the Chief Minister’s residence in Sadashivanagar, Bengaluru, on Saturday, August 23, in what Mr Shivakumar described as a “courtesy call”.
The meeting comes days after Adani Enterprises emerged as the lowest bidder for the proposed 16.75-km Bengaluru Tunnel Road project with a bid of Rs 22,267 crore. The bid is higher than the Karnataka government’s initial estimate for the project and has triggered political debate over the project and the Congress government’s engagement with the Adani Group.
Sources told Moneycontrol that Adani had visited the Art of Living International Center off Kanakapura Road and met Mr Shivakumar at his residence while returning to the airport.
Visuals showed Shivakumar seeing off Adani after the meeting.
Speaking about the meeting, Shivakumar said nothing was discussed during the interaction. “It is a courtesy call, apart from nothing is there. They have been doing various works in our state, nothing has been discussed,” he said.
The Chief Minister said Adani had been seeking an appointment for a long time. “After I became the Chief Minister for the first time, they have taken, they have asked for an appointment for a very long time, they just came, it is a courtesy call,” he said.
The meeting, however, drew criticism from the BJP, with senior party leader R Ashoka questioning the Congress leadership’s position on the Adani Group.
“Congress opposes Adani in Delhi, but supports him in Karnataka. Isn’t this a double standard?” Ashoka said, asking whether Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had given Mr Shivakumar permission to meet Adani.
Ashoka accused the Karnataka government of “rolling out the red carpet” for the Adani Group.
The BJP has opposed the Bengaluru tunnel road project, with Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya among its most vocal critics. Surya has also approached the Karnataka High Court challenging the project.
The Adani Group’s participation in major projects in Karnataka has become a politically contentious issue, particularly amid criticism by the Congress leadership of the business group at the national level.