The Industries and Infrastructure minister in Karnataka and Congress leader, MB Patil, recently said that the state government is open to doing business with the Adani Group.

“Whether it is Adani, Ambani, Essar or Jindal, anybody who wants to do legitimate, transparent business is welcome,” MB Patil told India Today TV. Patil’s statement was in reference to the pledge made by the Adani Group in November 2022 to invest Rs 1 lakh crore in Karnataka over the next seven years.

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His remark soon triggered a controversy as the BJP slammed the Congress party in the state and called it “hypocritical”. Former deputy chief minister of Karnataka and BJP MLA, Ashwath Narayan, said, “The Congress is hypocritical. Adani and Ambani were established during the Congress tenure. The law of the land is applicable to everyone. I appreciate MB Patil for inviting our own countrymen. Let the state prosper.”

The BJP’s former MLA CT Ravi claimed the Congress government in Karnataka being open to investments from the Adani Group exposes “double standards” of the Congress.

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These remarks came against the backdrop of protests carried out earlier this year by Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, against the Centre and the Adani Group. The Opposition leaders sought an independent probe by a joint parliamentary committee into the allegations levelled by American short-seller Hindenburg against the conglomerate.

MB Patil also told India Today TV that the Karnataka government intends to take the responsibility of operating and maintaining new airports under the ambit of the Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC). He added that Karnataka would like to follow the example set by the Maharashtra government, which runs and manages Shirdi Airport.