Sharad Pawar's Differing Take On Adani — What He'd Said About The Businessman In 2015 Book

Sharad Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief, has differed with other opposition parties on the Adani issue.

Though this might seem unusual to some, Pawar, in reality, has had good things to say about Gautam Adani for long.

Pawar's 2015 Marathi autobiography Lok Maze Saangati... lauded Adani, calling him a hard-working, simple, down-to-earth person, with mighty aspirations in the infrastructure industry.

It was at Pawar's insistence that Adani ventured into the thermal power sector, the veteran leader wrote in his book.

The autobiography recounts Adani's journey from a small-time Mumbai salesman to building his corporate empire, foraying into small ventures and trying his luck in the diamond industry along the way.

“He was earning well in the diamond industry, but Gautam was not interested in that. He had ambitions to enter the infrastructure sector. He had good relations with Gujarat Chief Minister Chimanbhai Patel and had submitted a proposal to develop a port at Mundhra,” the NCP chief wrote.

Patel had cautioned Adani about the port being located near the Pakistani border and in an arid area. Nevertheless, Adani accepted the challenge.

Adani later made his foray in the coal sector. According to Pawar, it was at his suggestion that the businessman ventured into the thermal power sector.

It apparently led to the establishment of a 3,000 MW thermal power plant in Bhandara, according to the former Maharashtra chief minister.

Pawar wrote about forging strong alliances with several businesspersons in pursuit of progress in Maharashtra over the course of his political career.

Pawar's stance on the Adani Group investigation surprised the opposition recently. He supports a probe conducted by a Supreme Court-appointed panel over an investigation by a Joint Parliamentary Committee, demanded by the opposition campaign.

Pawar defended the Adani Group and disapproved of the controversy surrounding Hindenburg Research's report on the company. He believes that the conglomerate was "targeted," and said he was unaware of the United States-based short-selling firm's history.