Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi/Patna: The Congress on Monday alleged that the Modi government has handed over 1,050 acres of land and 10 lakh trees in Pirpainti, Bhagalpur, to industrialist Gautam Adani for setting up a 2,400 MW power plant, leasing the land for 33 years at just one rupee per year. The party claimed that villagers were placed under house arrest ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bihar to prevent protests.
Congress Calls Adani ‘Rashtra Seth’
Addressing a press conference, AICC media and publicity chairperson Pawan Khera described Adani as a “Rashtra Seth” and accused the Centre of dispossessing farmers under duress. He alleged that farmers were coerced into signing away their land, which the government valued at a token amount. “The BJP first launches campaigns about trees in mothers’ names, and then sells the same land, which farmers consider sacred, for a pittance,” Khera said.
Power Tariff Controversy
Khera further alleged that electricity from the proposed power plant would be sold to Bihar residents at ₹6.75 per unit, while Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh would get it at ₹3–4 per unit. He criticised the government for “snatching land, coal, and trees from Bihar only to sell power back at inflated rates,” calling it “double loot.” The project, estimated at ₹21,400 crore, was initially announced as a government undertaking, Khera added, but was later transferred to Adani. He claimed similar favours were extended to Adani in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh ahead of state elections.
