Allegations of 'selling all of Mumbai to Adani' malicious, unfounded: Conglomerate denies Rahul Gandhi’s charges

Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit out at the Modi and businessmen considered close to him including Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani.

Mumbai: Hours after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi -- while concluding the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra -- hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Adani Group over the redevelopment of Dharavi slum cluster, the company which is undertaking the project category denied charges of favouritism levelled by the principal opposition party.

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL), a joint venture between the Maharashtra government and the Adani Group, issued a statement denying the charges of any wrongdoings.

Incidentally, the DRPPL will begin the survey to collect data from lakhs of informal tenement residents of Dharavi from Monday.

Rahul, who was accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, AICC General Secretaries Ramesh Chennithala and K C Venugopal, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole and his Mumbai counterpart and Dharavi MLA Varsha Gaikwad, hit out at the Modi and businessmen considered close to him including Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani.

“Dharavi is the real Make in India, it is a manufacturing hub… desh dalal nahi, Dharavi ke log banate hai (the nation is shaped by the people of Dharavi, not by brokers)… Dharavi is your own land but the government is trying to acquire it through dalals… police force is being used to throw out the residents for the Dharavi redevelopment project,” Gandhi, the Wayanad MP said on Saturday evening.

However, the DRPPL on Sunday, categorically denied any favouritism. “Contrary to the claims of favouritism, the selection was based entirely on merit, with the Adani Group submitting the highest bid in a tender that was open to national and international participants. The tender’s terms and conditions were finalised during the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government, of which Congress was a part,” the DRPPL said.

“The allegations of 'selling all of Mumbai to Adani' are preposterous, malicious, and unfounded. They are made with the intention of detracting from the critical conversation about improving the lives of millions of Dharavikars. For decades, the people of Dharavi have lived in the hope of a better future. Now that decisive steps have been taken, we need to work together to make this vision a reality without politicising the redevelopment,” according to the company.

The Adani Group-company refuted the allegation that all tenements of Dharavi will be displaced. “The project guarantees a minimum of 350 sq ft homes to all eligible tenement residents, setting a new standard for housing under Slum Rehabilitation Authority projects,” it said.

"The tender has also made provisions for those tenements that may not be eligible by providing them housing as per the rental housing scheme of the Government of Maharashtra and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, demonstrating the commitment of the state government and the Adani Group to the well-being of all Dharavikars. Our mission is to transform Dharavi into a model of urban redevelopment, improving living conditions with a human-centric approach. We remain dedicated to this vision and to work closely with all stakeholders to ensure a transparent and beneficial redevelopment process,” the DRPPL noted.