Conclave 2023 | Some businesses closer to ruling party: AAP’s Atishi’s dig at Centre over Adani row

Speaking at the India Today Conclave 2023, AAP leader Atishi laid into the Centre over the Adani-Hindenburg row and growing inequality in the country.

Targeting the Centre over the Adani-Hindenburg row, AAP leader Atishi said that despite malpractices, a few conglomerates are getting away scot-free due to their apparent close ties to the party in power.

“Why is it that inequality is rising in the country? It’s because some people are more favoured than others. You have some business groups that are closer to the ruling parties, whose net worth goes up from $7.3 billion in 2014 to $140 billion in 2020,” she said at the India Today Conclave 2023.

She also took a dig at Union minister Smriti Irani after the latter, in her address at the India Today Conclave, said India was on the path to economic growth and set to become a global superpower. The AAP minister pointed out that there are many data points that counter Irani’s assertion.

“On the one hand, we talk about a growing Indian economy but in the Human Development Index (HDI), which measures education, health and equality, India is falling year-on-year in its global position," she said.

She went on to accuse the government of cracking down on anyone who dares to criticise its policies. “Today every agency of the central government is being used to clamp down on the opposition,” she said.

To drive her point home, the minister alluded to the number of defamation cases lodged against her by BJP leaders over her remarks against the ruling party. By her count, there were 186 cases registered by central agencies against AAP leaders alone.

Instead of keeping silent for fear of retaliation, more and more people should raise their voice against injustice and corruption, Atishi urged.