Lok Sabha polls 2014: Narendra Modi using Adani's planes, choppers for campaign, says Anand Sharma

JAIPUR: Commerce minister Anand Sharma has claimed that the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is using helicopters and aeroplanes supplied by the Adani group for his campaign.

Sharma’s comments came a day after Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi named the Gujarat-based group at a rally in Udaipur to publicly attack Modi over his alleged links with “four-five businessmen” backing him ahead of the upcoming general elections.

“Saare desh ko pata hai. Agar kahin pe aapko jahaz aur helicopter khada milega jis pe Adani likha hai toh samajh lo Modi aa chuka hai (The entire country knows about it. If you see an aeroplane or helicopter with the name Adani parked somewhere, you can be sure Modi has arrived there),” Sharma said at a presser in Jaipur on Friday.

Asked if he felt that India Inc had consciously decided to back Modi’s candidature, Sharma told ET, “It’s obvious.” However, he refused to talk about the other businessmen that Gandhi may have alluded to. “Don’t get me into this,” he said.

Sharma reiterated his earlier claim that the BJP is spending about Rs 10,000 crore on its campaign. “They are spending on print ads at least 25% more than us. From where have they got this kind of money? Who is funding this campaign? It needs to be found out,” he said.