Published Aug 24, 2026 | 3:25 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 24, 2026 | 3:25 PM
Minister Priyank Kharge. (Supplied)
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday, August 24, defended Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s meeting with Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani, saying the government considers him a “contractor.”
Kharge’s reaction came amid criticism over the CM’s meeting with Adani, after his company, Adani Enterprises, emerged as the lowest bidder for the proposed Bengaluru tunnel road project.
Justifying the meeting, Kharge said Adani emerging as the lowest bidder was not under the control of the government and that they haven’t influenced the tender process.
“What is wrong with meeting the Chief Minister? For us, he is a contractor. In one or two projects, he is L1. These are very important projects for the Karnataka government. We have not influenced the tender process. Anyone can emerge as L1,” Kharge said.
Kharge stressed that the Congress’s political position on the Adani Group remained unchanged, but maintained that it cannot come in the way of government decisions or the tender process.
Adani met Shivakumar on August 23 at his residence in Bengaluru’s Sadashivanagar after his company emerged as the lowest bidder for the 16.75-km road project, at Rs 22,267 crore, which is higher than the Karnataka government’s initial estimate for the project.
The meeting was described by the CM as a “courtesy call” while repeatedly stating that “nothing was discussed.”
Shivakumar also stated that the Adani group had been trying to get an appointment with him since he assumed office, and the meeting has finally happened now.
“After I became the Chief Minister for the first time, they have been asking for an appointment for a very long time, they just came, it is a courtesy call,” he said.
However, the meeting and the tender process have raised eyebrows in the context of the Congress’s continued criticism of the Adani Group. The BJP has also attacked the Congress over what it described as the party’s “double standards.”
“Congress opposes Adani in Delhi, but supports him in Karnataka. Isn’t this a double standard?” asked BJP leader R Ashoka.
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
