Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP K C Venugopal on Monday alleged that the Union government has favoured the Adani Group in awarding national highway projects in Kerala, calling it a “highway scam” involving inflated project costs and misuse of public money.
Raising the issue during a debate on the first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2025–26, Venugopal claimed that several road projects were awarded at unusually high costs, with some touching ₹45 crore per kilometre.
Citing the Azhiyoor–Vengalam stretch of NH-66 in north Kerala, he said the project was awarded to Adani Enterprises for ₹1,832 crore, but later subcontracted to Ahmedabad-based Wagad Infraprojects for ₹971 crore, nearly half the original bid amount. According to Venugopal, this puts the actual construction cost at ₹23.7 crore per km, far lower than the bid submitted by Adani.
“This loot is legal only because the system has been designed that way,” he alleged, claiming the scam was facilitated through the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) introduced by the Modi government in 2016. He demanded a thorough investigation and said public funds should not be allowed to be siphoned off in this manner.
Venugopal also raised concerns about the quality of road construction in Kerala, alleging that poor workmanship had led to the collapse of some elevated roads and bridges. He said the Bharatmala project was running far behind schedule, with only 50% completion after eight years, despite a planned timeline of five years.
Speaking on the broader economy, Venugopal said the rupee crossing ₹90 against the US dollar reflected a decline in the country’s economic standing. The weakening currency, he added, has made imports such as crude oil and fertilisers more expensive, increasing the burden on ordinary citizens.
He also flagged the International Monetary Fund’s decision to retain a ‘C’ grade for India’s national account statistics, including GDP and GVA, saying it raised serious doubts about the credibility of official growth figures.
Participating in the debate, Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav accused the BJP-led government of favouring big corporates through loan waivers while failing to provide relief to distressed farmers. He questioned why the government had not implemented the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations on Minimum Support Prices (MSP) and sought clarity on when the next census, including a caste census, would be conducted.