Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, 13 March, asked how business tycoon Gautam Adani managed to increase his wealth by 50 percent when the rest of the country was struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"How much did your wealth increase in 2020? Zero. You struggle to survive while he makes ₹ 12 Lakh Cr and increases his wealth by 50%. Can you tell me why?" tweeted Gandhi.
Gandhi was responding to a report by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index which showed that so far in 2021, Adani has added $16.2 billion, taking his total net worth to $50 billion. With this surge in his wealth, Adani is now the 26th richest person in the world.
He even beat two of world’s richest individuals, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, in terms of wealth generation this year. While Musk has added $10.3 billion to his net worth so far, Bezos has seen a downturn of $7.59 billion.
The development comes at a time when the Adani Group is rapidly expanding its footprint in diversified sectors, including airports business and data centres.
Recently, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited announced that Windy Lakeside Investment Ltd, a unit of Warburg Pincus, will invest Rs 800 crore for a 0.49 percent stake in the company, IANS reported.
Shares of several Adani companies have surged over the past one year amid the pandemic, adding to its chairman's wealth.
Adani Enterprises' shares have increased over four-fold in the past one year and the stock price of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone has more than double during the period, according to IANS.
(With inputs from PTI, IANS)
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