Sharad Pawar visits Adani's Gujarat office & home; political circles abuzz

AHMEDABAD: Political circles in the state went into a tizzy as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief, Sharad Pawar, landed at Ahmedabad airport on Saturday morning for strictly personal business, say sources. Pawar, who had defended industrialist Gautam Adani even as the opposition parties gunned for him in the aftermath of the Hindenburg report saying that the group was 'targeted', was hosted at Adani's residence along with his wife, Pratibha Pawar, over lunch, confirmed party sources.The Adani Group was accused of stock manipulation by a US-based short-seller, Hindenburg Research.This is the third meeting between the billionaire industrialist and the NCP chief in less than a year. More recently, Adani visited Pawar's residence in Mumbai in June. This was after the two met amid the Hindenburg row. From the airport, Pawar went to inaugurate the country's first lactoferrin plant Exympower at Chacharwadi in Ahmedabad district, along with Gautam Adani. According to sources, the company is owned by a Pune-based entrepreneur which is setting up its manufacturing unit for lactoferrin, at Gallops Industrial Park-II in Ahmedabad.Later in the day, Pawar took to microblogging site, X, to post, "It was a privilege to inaugurate India's first Lactoferrin Plant Exympower in Vasna, Chacharwadi, Gujarat along with Mr Gautam Adani.""While the party chief had to inaugurate a factory in Ahmedabad along with Adani, he and his wife were also part of a private programme held by Adani Foundation," said Jayant Patel, president, NCP, Gujarat. "Pawar and his wife were hosted over lunch at the Adani residence and will leave for Mumbai tomorrow," Patel further added. While there was a buzz around Pawar leaving Ahmedabad the same day, party sources told TOI that he will leave for Mumbai on Sunday morning.