Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said that Rajasthan will welcome any investors be it industrialists Gautam Adani and Ambani or Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah because the state wants employment and investment.

His remarks come a day after the BJP mocked the Congress after Gehlot praised Adani at the Invest Rajasthan Summit here.

“Be it Adani, Ambani or Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah, we will welcome all. We want employment and investment,” Gehlot told reporters after addressing the MSME Conclave at the summit.

Calling the BJP mocking his praise for Adani “unfortunate”, Gehlot said, “I condemn this. Making this an issue will cost the BJP dearly.”

On Friday, the BJP mocked the Congress after Gehlot lavished praise on Adani, the industrialist Rahul Gandhi often highlights to allege that Prime Minister Narendra Modi helped only big businessmen.

Rahul Gandhi came out in defense of Gehlot’s government saying that the state has not given any preferential treatment to the industrialist and asserted that he is not against corporates but monopolies.

Addressing a press conference here, Gandhi also said that if the Rajasthan government gives business to Adani wrongly, he will oppose that too.

Asked about Adani’s presence at a Rajasthan government event and the industrialist pledging investments in the state, the former Congress chief said, “Mr Adani has committed Rs 60,000 crore to Rajasthan. No chief minister can refuse such an offer. In fact, it would not be correct for a chief minister to refuse such an offer.”

“My contention is in the use of political power to help certain chosen businesses. My opposition is to two-three or four large businesses being helped politically to monopolize every single business in this country,” he said.

“I am in no way against corporates, I am in no way against business but I am against the complete monopolization of Indian business because that weakens the country.

“Today what we are seeing is being done by the BJP government is complete monopolization of all businesses by helping a chosen few businesses,” Gandhi alleged.

Earlier in a tweet, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said much media hype is being created over Gehlot’s meeting with Adani.

“Adani wants to invest approximately ₹60,000 cr in Rajasthan. No CM will say don’t invest. There are NO special rules or policies for Adani by RJ Govt. Gehlot is very much against cronyism of the Modi variety,” he said.

Adani announced a whopping Rs 65,000 crore investment in Rajasthan over the next five to seven years – setting up a 10,000 MW solar power facility, expanding cement plant, and upgrading the Jaipur International Airport.