In Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately met and spoke with Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani and Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaran on Wednesday.
He also visited the world’s largest integrated oil refining complex, owned by Reliance, in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
With the aim of strengthening bilateral ties, Marco Rubio, who arrived in India on Tuesday for a three-day official visit, held bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Mumbai.
On Wednesday, the second day of his visit, Rubio separately met and spoke with Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani and Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaran in Mumbai. However, no official details were released about the matters discussed in these meetings.
Adani Group is one of the country’s largest conglomerates, with interests in ports, airports, energy, freight transport, infrastructure, manufacturing, and more. Similarly, Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, is a major player in sectors including automobile manufacturing, steel, information technology, aviation, electronics, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, and battery technology.
In Gujarat...: Following these meetings, Marco Rubio visited Reliance’s oil refinery complex in Jamnagar, Gujarat. He was welcomed by Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani, his wife Nita Ambani, daughter Isha, and son Anant. Rubio’s visit drew attention amid rising diesel prices in the United States. Officials, noting that it was a private event, did not provide any further details.
With the capacity to refine 1.4 million barrels of crude oil a day, this complex, distinguished as the world’s largest integrated oil refining complex, is home to ‘Vantara,’ a wildlife and bird rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation center spread across 3,000 acres. More than 2,000 animals belonging to 43 species are cared for here. More than 2,100 caretakers and protectors work here.
Rubio also visited the Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex, an integrated green energy center being built across 5,000 acres in this complex.
Earlier, speaking in Mumbai on Tuesday, Rubio praised India, saying, ‘India is a superpower in crude oil refining. India has the ability to refine even heavy crude oil.’
It is noteworthy that President Trump had recently announced that the United States had joined hands with Reliance to set up a plant in Brownsville, Texas, with a refining capacity of 168,000 barrels of oil per day.
‘Protests against the Election Commission are India’s internal matter’
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the protests against the Election Commission are an internal political matter of India.
Opposition parties and members of the Bharatiya Janata Party have staged protests against the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing them of electoral malpractice through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list. UN human rights experts expressed concern last Tuesday over reports that police had dealt harshly with young people taking part in a protest in Delhi.
Marco Rubio was asked about the above issue while speaking to reporters in Mumbai.
At that time, rejecting the UN experts’ statement, he said, “This is India’s internal political matter. Therefore, I am not going to comment. Protests take place every day in the United States. They reflect political criticism and differences of opinion,” he said.
