New Delhi: The birthday dinner for NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, who turned 85 on December 11, became a dramatic intersection of politics and business, highlighted by an unphotographed encounter between Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and industrialist Gautam Adani.

Despite Gandhi’s relentless public campaign against the Adani Group over alleged corruption and monopolies, the two men came face-to-face and exchanged a handshake at the high-profile Delhi gathering.

The significance of the moment—a potential political flashpoint—was not lost on the attendees. Senior journalists Rajdeep Sardesai and Aadesh Rawal confirmed the handshake occurred but noted that no photograph of the encounter ever surfaced. Rawal specifically cited Pawar’s daughter, Baramati MP Supriya Sule, as intervening to ensure no pictures were taken, acknowledging the severe political repercussions such an image would have.

The conspicuous absence of a photo allowed the Congress to avoid uncomfortable questions that would have directly undercut its anti-Adani narrative.

Unsurprisingly, the BJP seized upon the news, even without visual proof. BJP spokespersons like Sanju Verma and Amit Malviya quickly took to social media, accusing the Congress and Gandhi of “hypocrisy” for attacking Adani publicly while sharing elite social space with him.

The meeting comes amid signs of a potential softening in the Congress’s stance, particularly after the Adani Group announced a substantial ₹2,500 crore investment in Congress-ruled Telangana. The incident underscores the perpetual tension between political rhetoric and personal, cross-party relationships that define the Indian political landscape.