Why Rahul Gandhi replaced Ambani with Amit Shah in his no-trust speech

New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi’s Wednesday speech in Lok Sabha during the no-trust debate reminded many of the open secret from 2004 when Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani made good with Sonia Gandhi days before the general elections results were announced.

The corridors of power were then abuzz that Ambani had sensed the direction of poll results and changed sides before the counting of votes.

In 2004, UPA led by Sonia Gandhi emerged victorious and ousted the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

Cut to 2023, Rahul Gandhi seemingly indicated a significant political shift in the party’s stand.

The former Congress chief has de-hyphenated Adani-Ambani and omitted to mention Ambani completely during his targeted attack against the Centre, all the while slamming the duo of Amit Shah and Adani during his speech.

This is a significant departure from the grand old party’s stand which had been targeting Adani-Ambani over their closeness with the Narendra Modi government over the past few years.

Rahul Gandhi, during his speeches and public rallies, had been constantly pointing towards the Gujarat connection and alleged that the Centre was acting “too much” in favour of these two industrial groups.

Union Minister Amit Shah also came under attack due to his known closeness to the two groups that owe their origins in Gujarat.

The speech of the Wayanad MP today came as a shock to many party insiders who believe that it is also an indication of the things to come as the Congress embarks on its campaign for crucial Assembly polls later this year and general elections next year.

“While the leaders of the grand old party and their supporters have continued to troll the two top industrialists, this stepping down by the Nehru-Gandhi scion may change the direction of the attacks as the party prepares for the 2024 Lok Sabha battle,” sources said.

The climb down by Rahul Gandhi in favour of the Ambanis is also being seen as an attempt by the Congress’ first family to mend its relationship with India’s number one business family.

The grand old party also feels that the relations between the Gandhis and Ambanis needed to be improved as they date back to at least the past two generations.

This move comes even as anchors from the media company owned by Ambani continue to target the Congress and Gandhi family, sources pointed out.

Similarly, the left-lobby-cum-Congress sympathisers recently attacked Ambani over alleged hate speech during Nuh violence.

The media-related situation had turned so ugly that Congress' Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had refused to participate in a media summit organized by an Ambani-owned company recently, sources added.

However, leaders in the Bharatiya Janata Party have also noted the sudden climb down of Rahul Gandhi when it comes to Ambanis.

Saffron party sources indicated that this may be a wider indication that the alignment between business houses and political parties is witnessing a significant shift.

Over the past few weeks, all was not seemingly well between the BJP government and the Ambanis. And it came out in the open a few days ago when the government announced a total ban on the imports of laptops and tablets from China.

It is understood that the ban was imposed immediately after Reliance launched its much-anticipated Jiobook, with a price tag of Rs 16,499. Most of these were supposed to be imported from China.

The Centre, which has been trying to push for Aatmanirbhar Bharat in the sector, imposed immediate restrictions on the import of laptops, tablets, and personal computers, in a move to promote domestic manufacturing and reduce reliance on imports. Though the government denied any connection with the Jiobook’s launch with the new policy.

The government had to soon give way and allow companies another three months to import laptops, personal computers, tablets and other devices before the ban is imposed.

However, with fast-paced changes on the political scene ahead of crucial polls, the speeches of Rahul Gandhi will be keenly watched for further policy shifts at this juncture.

Meanwhile, both the government and the opposition are expected to woo industry leaders as they are considered to be the biggest contributors to party funds which are desperately needed to contest polls.