Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said on Thursday that the support by Reliance Industries Limited chairman Mukesh Ambani to Congress candidate in Mumbai South is an indirect admission that neither Modi nor BJP is coming back to power.

“It’s for the first time that Mukesh Ambani has openly supported Milind Deora. It may seem as if its for a candidate, but it is an indirect support to Congress or in other words an indirect admission that BJP will not come to power. That is the hidden message in it. No business house takes such an open call, but he (Mr. Ambani) has a whole string of survey operations, media channels, etc. I think he has sensed very correctly that it will neither be Modi nor the BJP after May 23,” he told The Hindu.

Asked if it represented the sentiments of the business community, Mr. Chavan said, “That will be too much to say. But he is the doyen of the industry, a leading captain. What he says will influence the industry.”

The Congress leader further said that the corporate world was not happy with the Modi government. “There are questions about growth rate. It is being reflected in job creation and it reflects the health of the economy. Agriculture sector gives push to the purchasing power which in turn gives boost to the industrial and service sector. That is not happening. Where is the reason for happiness?” he asked.

Mr. Chavan said the agriculture sector has paid a huge cost to keep consumers happy. “Inflation rate is controlled by the BJP by controlling the farm prices, through deliberate low MSP for four years and then a sudden increase. Maharashtra’s agriculture growth rate last year was (-)8.3% which translates into impact on purchasing power and further on economy,” he said.