Speculations are rife after industrialist Gautam Adani met NCP supremo Sharad Pawar at the latter's Worli residence, Silver Oak, on Thursday. Adani visited Silver Oak around 10 am and had a closed-door meeting with Pawar, which lasted for nearly two hours, according to sources. Although details of the meeting couldn't be known as it took place only between the two, it assumes great importance in light of the recent developments.
The meeting is significant because it's the first time after the heavyweight politician publicly supported the Adani group chairman, virtually trashing the opposition's demand for a JPC to probe allegations leveled in the Hindenburg report and tracing the trail of the alleged Rs. 20,000 crore.
Pawar in an interview said that a judicial committee probe would be sufficient for the case
Though the opposition's demand for a JPC probe greatly disturbed parliamentary proceedings in the recent session and put pressure on the government, Pawar, in an interview given to a news channel, opined that a judicial committee probe would be sufficient for the case and that it was not right to target industrialists who are the nation's wealth creators. Pawar's statement defused the opposition buildup. Against this backdrop, the latest meeting between Adani and Pawar is viewed with great importance.
The Pawar-Adani meeting also assumes significance from the viewpoint of Maharashtra state politics. A similar meeting between Adani and Pawar way back in 2014 had helped resolve a political stalemate in Maharashtra, paving the way for a BJP government under Devendra Fadnavis in the state.
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