In response to allegations over hiring the services of a firm close to the Adani family in the bidding process for privatisation of Thiruvananthapuram airport, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that the law firm didn’t reveal any conflict of interest. The United Democratic Front led by the Congress moved a no confidence motion on Monday to highlight the flaws of the government.
Speaking at the state Assembly, Pinarayi clarified the government’s stance over hiring Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas after Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala alleged a nexus between the state government and the Adani group. Pinarayi said that the government engaged the firm as they are well known nationally and that Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas clearly stated that there is no conflict.
“If someone engaged Kapil Sibal as a lawyer, would they look at his legal prowess or his membership in the Congress party?” he questioned.
“When a firm is engaged in services, naturally its capabilities are verified. It is because the legal firm is capable, that they were engaged. They have nothing to do with the airport bid. They are not involved in anything to do with the bid,” Pinarayi clarified.
The Kerala government lost the bid to operate and manage Trivandrum International Airport to Adani Enterprises.
However, an RTI revealed that out of the Rs 2.36 crore spent by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), Rs 55,39,522 was spent as professional fee for bidding to law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.
Paridhi Adani, who is married to Adani group Chairman Gautam Adani’s eldest son Karan Adani, is the co-owner of the firm. She is the daughter of the founder Cyril Shroff, who owns the law firm. Cyril and his wife Vandana Shroff are well-known corporate lawyers in the country. Karan Adani is in-charge of the Vizhinjam port project and has closely interacted with the Kerala government.
Adani Enterprises won the rights for the airport by bidding the highest per passenger fee of Rs 168 to the Airport Authority of India (AAI), while the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) made a bid of Rs 135.
Pinarayi further added that in hindsight people may feel that Kerala could have quoted more than Adani did since the government lost the bid. But he emphasised that the law firm had nothing to do with the bid.
“I was saying that a firm is supposed to reveal if they have a conflict of interest, they themselves said there was none,” Pinarayi added.
On Monday, even as the Kerala assembly passed a unanimous resolution demanding withdrawal the Centre’s decision to lease out the international airport to Adani, Chennithala alleged that the government was colluding with the Adani group and secretly helped the company by hiring a law firm that is close to them.
“To denounce Adani on one side and to collude with him on the other side, this is treachery,” Chennithala said, interrupting Pinarayi.