‘Samudra Manthan Scheme Will Benefit Adani With Public Funds’
Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil accused the Modi government of favouring the Adani Group and described the proposed 'Samudra Manthan' scheme as another example of preferential treatment towards the conglomerate
The Congress on Monday demanded the immediate scrapping of the proposed Rs 84,084-crore ‘Samudra Manthan Yojana’, alleging that the offshore oil and gas exploration programme has been designed to benefit private companies, particularly the Adani Group.
Addressing a press conference, Congress national spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil claimed that the Union Cabinet had approved Rs 84,084 crore for the first phase of the proposed offshore exploration scheme. He alleged that half of the project funding would be provided directly to the company undertaking exploration.
Gohil accused the Narendra Modi government of favouring the Adani Group and described the proposed programme as another example of what he termed preferential treatment for the conglomerate.
“It’s clear that from this ‘Samudra Manthan’, poison will come to the public’s share and nectar to Adani’s share,” Gohil said.
The Congress leader questioned the procedure through which private companies would participate in offshore exploration. He said companies would ordinarily have to purchase exploration blocks and obtain environmental and other regulatory clearances before beginning operations.
Gohil alleged that the Adani Group was already well placed to benefit from the proposed scheme because it had obtained the necessary clearances and had three blocks ready for exploration.
He also referred to a social media post by Pranav Adani praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi after details of the proposed scheme emerged. Gohil claimed that the timing of the post raised questions about the potential beneficiaries of the programme.
The Congress spokesperson also highlighted the business relationship between the Adani Group and Welspun in the oil and gas sector. He said the two groups had formed a joint venture in 2005, with the Adani Group holding a 65 per cent stake and Welspun owning the remaining 35 per cent.
According to Gohil, the venture had been operating at a loss. He alleged that the proposed government support could significantly improve its commercial prospects. He also referred to remarks attributed to the company’s managing director suggesting that the scheme could help the business make substantial progress.
Gohil further alleged a connection between corporate interests and political funding. He claimed that the Welspun Group had donated Rs 10 crore to the Bharatiya Janata Party through electoral bonds.
The Congress leader also drew a comparison with oil and gas exploration undertaken in Gujarat during Modi’s tenure as chief minister. He said Rs 27,000 crore had been allocated for exploration by the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC), but alleged that a Comptroller and Auditor General report had found that the expenditure did not deliver the expected results.
Gohil alleged that public money had been wasted and claimed that some of the wells existed only on paper. He demanded a judicial inquiry into the findings related to the GSPC’s exploration activities.
The Congress spokesperson also cited several other policy decisions that he claimed demonstrated preferential treatment towards the Adani Group.
He referred to a 6,600 MW power tender awarded around the Maharashtra elections and alleged that the contract had gone to the Adani Group through a single-bid process. He also raised questions over the allocation of coal mining blocks in Madhya Pradesh’s Singrauli district.
According to Gohil, environmental concerns involving tiger reserves and elephant corridors had been overlooked during the allocation process. He said the government had informed Parliament that a gram sabha resolution was mandatory for such allocations, but alleged that the requirement had not been followed in the case of a coal block associated with the Adani Group.
Gohil also questioned the government’s decision to remove customs duty on imported raw materials used in copper production. Referring to Kutch Copper Limited, he claimed that the government removed the 2.5 per cent customs duty on copper on June 24, 2025, benefiting the Adani-owned company.
The Congress demanded that the Rs 84,084 crore proposed under the ‘Samudra Manthan Yojana’ instead be allocated to state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for oil and gas exploration.
Gohil also sought an explanation from the government over what he described as a decline in India’s domestic oil and gas availability in recent years.
Questioning the proposed expenditure amid unemployment and agrarian distress, the Congress leader asked why such a large amount of public money should be directed towards private companies when young people were struggling to find employment and farmers were facing economic difficulties.
The Congress said the government should reconsider the proposed scheme and ensure that public resources are used in the broader national interest.
Neither the Union government nor the Adani and Welspun groups had issued an immediate response to the allegations made by Gohil.
