The Adani group’s proposed takeover of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, cleared by the Union cabinet on Wednesday, has hit political headwinds with the Left government in Kerala and the Opposition Congress coming together to resist the privatisation of the public sector facility.
The showdown comes at a time the CPM-led government is caught in a scandal over a gold smuggling racket in which a key accused has been linked to a top IAS officer who enjoyed immense clout in the chief minister’s office.
The battle has a few unusual dimensions. The Kerala government itself had taken part in the airport bid and lost to the Adanis. If a private party that lost a tender had sought to block the winner, it would have had other implications.
