Political leaders meet people from corporate sector: Raut on Pawar-Adani meeting

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Friday played down NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s meeting with industrialist Gautam Adani, saying that political leaders do meet people from the corporate sector.

The Adani Group chairman met the Nationalist Congress Party chief a day before.

“Sharad Pawar or for that matter every big political leader meets people from the corporate sector,” Raut said in response to a question by reporters here.

The meeting assumed some significance as earlier this month Pawar had said the Supreme Court-appointed panel will be more useful than a Joint Parliamentary Commitee for looking into US-based Hindenburg Research’s allegations against the Adani group.

The NCP chief, thus, appeared to be breaking ranks with opposition leaders who have been demanding a JPC on the Adani issue.

Later Pawar said he will not oppose the demand for a JPC.

Raut, incidentally, also met Pawar after the latter’s meeting with Adani.

“We keep meeting, and Pawar is a key leader of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (the alliance of Sena (UBT), NCP and Congress). What is surprising if we or Congress leaders meet Pawar. We had a discussion on many issues in the country and state,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.