Rahul Gandhi mocks ‘ek hai to safe hai’ with jab at Adani’s Dharavi slum project

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday took sharp digs at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘ek hai toh safe hai’ (together, one is safe) slogan, accusing him of prioritising the interests of business tycoon Gautam Adani over the people of Maharashtra.
At a press briefing in Mumbai ahead of the November 20 assembly polls, Gandhi put on a show by pulling two posters out of a safe. The first featured PM Modi alongside Adani with the caption ‘ek hai toh safe hai’ (they are safe as long as they are together), while the second displayed a map of the Adani Group’s controversial Dharavi redevelopment plan.
Gandhi claimed the “safe” symbolised the wealth of Mumbai, which he alleged was being targeted by Adani with the support of the BJP-led government. He alleged that the “entire political machinery” was twisted to allot the Dharavi redevelopment project to one person.
“The Dharavi redevelopment is unfair, and it is being done to benefit only one person. We are not convinced how tenders are being given… Only one person is given all the ports, airports and wealth of India,” he said.

Gandhi also endorsed Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray’s promise to cancel the Dharavi project tender if the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance comes to power.
The Dharavi Redevelopment Project, covering 600 acres of prime land in central Mumbai, has been a hot-button election issue. The Adani Group won the redevelopment bid in 2022 under the BJP-led Mahayuti government. However, opposition parties have raised concerns about transparency in awarding the contract.
The BJP has previously defended the Dharavi project, calling it a transformative initiative to provide better living conditions and infrastructure for the residents of the slum area.
Stepping up the attack, the Gandhi scion alleged that major industrial projects had been moved out of Maharashtra to Gujarat, accusing the Eknath Shine government of depriving the state of economic opportunities.
“A total of Rs 7 lakh crore worth of projects like Foxconn and Airbus have been shifted to Gujarat, taking away 5 lakh jobs from you,” he said.
“This election is a battle of ideologies — between a few billionaires and the poor,” Gandhi said, vowing that a Congress-led government would prioritise the interests of Maharashtra’s citizens.