"Told Congress leaders to stop criticising Adani after clean chit by SEBI": Gourav Vallabh tears into former party

Doubling down on his allegations against the Congress after changing his political stripes to saffron, BJP leader Gourav Vallabh on Sunday accused the grand old party of being in conflict with the country's wealth creators, including industrialist and billionaire investor Gautam Adani.

Doubling down on his allegations against the Congress after changing his political stripes to saffron, BJP leader Gourav Vallabh on Sunday accused the grand old party of being in conflict with the country's wealth creators, including industrialist and billionaire investor Gautam Adani. In a tell-all interview with ANI on Sunday, Vallabh said he urged the Congress high command to stop criticising Gautam Adani, the chairperson of the Adani Group, after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which had opened a probe against him in connection with certain claims made by US-based short-seller Hindenburg, gave him a clean chit.

"The Congress has made a habit of going at Adani and Ambani (Reliance Industries chairperson Mukesh Ambani) night and day. I did hold a a press conference (while with the Congress) in which I made certain references against Adani. However, when SEBI gave Adani a clean chit (in the probe into the Hindenburg claims), I stopped airing any public statements about him. I even advised the Congress leaders to stop criticising him after the clean chit by SEBI. But they kept going at him and continue to do so," Vallabh said. Significantly, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, as well as senior party leaders including national president Mallikarjun Kharge, have been severely critical of Adani and Ambani, accusing them of receiving undue favours from the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He disclosed further that he decided not to represent the Congress anymore on television debates or interactions with media persons after the heavyweights in the grand old party turned down an invitation to the 'Pran Pratishtha' of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya's Ram Mandir on January 22, this year. "From the time I resigned my membership of the Congress, I have been saying (in interviews with media outlets) that I repeatedly told senior leaders in my former party that we cannot remain silent to opposition to 'Sanatana Dharma'. From the day the Congress turned down the invitation to 'Pran Pratishtha' of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, I decided against representing the Congress on television shows and debates anymore. I told all senior leaders that we need to stop criticising our wealth creators, who work hard to build their wealth while also contributing to nation-building," the BJP leader said.

Vallabh claimed that the Congress was presently being run by the 'personal assistants' of former chief ministers and ministers. In an unsparing attack on senior Congress leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh and former Union Minister P Chidambaram, while not taking their names, Vallabh said, "The Congress is presently being run by those, who probably never fought elections to be a class monitor. A leader (Jairam Ramesh), who never put himself in the fray to even become a class monitor, has been representing the Congress in the Rajya Sabha for five terms now. He has nothing to do with the ideology of the Congress, he just wants to secure his Rajya Sabha seat. He has no ideological commitment to the party."

Picking on Chidambaram without naming him, the former Congress leader said the party's tally in the Lok Sabha would not have dropped to between 42 and 52 if his ideas and suggestions had any merit. "The Congress manifesto has been drafted by the same person (Chidambaram) for the last 30 years. If his ideas had any merit or practical relevance, the Congress's tally in the Lok Sabha wouldn't have dropped to between 42 and 52 (seats). When I was in college, he used to defend the party on television as a spokesperson. Even today, he is the in-charge of Communications (in the Congress). He is a PA. You wouldn't believe if I tell you that some people in the Congress, who are giving tickets for the Lok Sabha elections, can't tell Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Trying asking them and see how they appear confused," he added.

He added that the Congress neither understands the issues of the party's grassroots workers nor the aspirations of voters. Gourav, who resigned from the Congress, citing the party's 'lack of direction', joined the BJP at its headquarters in the national capital.

A prominent Congress face on television debates, Vallabh said he had grown 'uncomfortable' with the positions articulated by the party on several issues. "I am uncomfortable with the directionless way, in which the Congress Party is moving forward today. I can neither raise anti-Sanatan slogans nor abuse the wealth creators of the country all day long, which is why I am resigning from all posts and primary membership of Congress Party," Vallabh posted on X.

He contested last year's Rajasthan assembly elections from the Udaipur constituency but lost to the BJP candidate by a margin of about 32,000 votes. (ANI)

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