On December 31, Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) announced its decision to exit its 25-year-old joint venture with Wilmar International in a deal valued at approximately $2 billion. The proceeds from this transaction will be allocated by AEL to its core infrastructure sectors, including energy, utilities, transport, and logistics. As part of the deal, the Adani Group sold its entire 44% stake in the joint venture with Singapore’s Wilmar International. However, this financial development was misrepresented and given a completely distorted narrative by communists and supporters of opposition parties.
Before bringing up the narrative propagated by communists on X, it is important to highlight an unrelated but significant event in Manipur. On December 31, Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh issued an apology to the people of the state for the loss of hundreds of lives during 20 months of ethnic violence. On New Year’s Eve, he expressed hope that 2025 would bring peace and normalcy to Manipur.
By linking the Adani-Wilmar news and the Manipur Chief Minister’s statement, communists cooked and propagated a different story.
Tanmay stated, ‘ADANI, MANIPUR & TWO NEWS. Is There Any Connection Between The Two News. PalmOIL Connection ?ADANI’s PALM OIL BUSINESS Adani Wilmar Limited (AWL) is India’s largest processor of Palm Oil and is involved in a number of activities related to Palm Oil, including: Importing: AWL is India’s largest importer of edible oils. Refining: AWL imports, refines, processes, distributes, and markets palm oil products in India. Exporting: AWL exports its products to the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia. MANIPUR PALM OIL PROJECT . The Oil Palm Project in Manipur was launched on November 12, 2020, by the Chief Minister of Manipur, N Biren Singh. Land Allocation. Approximately 66,652 hectares of land was identified for oil palm cultivation across six districts: Chandel, Churachandpur, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Ukhrul, and Thoubal (Violence Effected Dists). Land Issues The project has stirred social tensions, particularly related to land rights in the hilly areas traditionally inhabited by communities like the #Kukis. There are claims that the initiative might lead to land grabbing, especially in areas where shifting cultivation (Jhum) is practiced, potentially displacing indigenous practices and communities. Ironically, on 31 December, 2024 Adani decided to sell Wilmar’s stake and the Manipur Chief Minister announced that the NORMALCY WILL RESTORED IN 2025. You Give The Answer Now.‘
ADANI, MANIPUR & TWO NEWS
— তন্ময় l T͞anmoy l (@tanmoyofc) December 31, 2024
Is There Any Connection Between The Two News❓
🔸PLAM OIL Connection ???
📍ADANI's PALM OIL BUSINESS
Adani Wilmar Limited (AWL) is India's largest processor of Palm Oil and is involved in a number of activities related to Palm Oil, including:… pic.twitter.com/iiSEKv5hyH
Paul Koshy shared, ‘Mark my words. Manipur will now see peace and harmony . Biren Singh will apologise and beg for forgiveness. Adani’s exit from Wilmar means, his Palm oil plantation progrom in Manipur is shelved forever. Now no excuse to take over the state and its narcotics – arms channels across the borders….and grow Palm oil trees as a cover. The mining interests remain though…at least presently. If US arrests him, then maybe even Mines will be closed down in Australia and other places.’
Mark my words #Manipur will now see peace and harmony
— Paul Koshy (@Paul_Koshy) December 31, 2024
Biren Singh will apologise and beg for forgiveness.
Adani's exit from Wilmar means, his Palm oil plantation progrom in Manipur is shelved forever. Now no excuse to take over the state and its narcotics – arms channels…
Rajiv Tyagi asserted, ‘Adani exits Adani-Wilmar; Biren Singh apologizes for Manipur violence. Is there Nexus between these two events…?
Adani exits Adani-Wilmar; Biren Singh apologizes for Manipur violence. Is there Nexus between these two events…? 🙂
— Rajiv Tyagi (@rajivtango) January 1, 2025
Besides this, Bharat Rao, Lokesh, Sajidalimarwadi, Neeta Sharma and Abhijeet Chaturvedi shared the similar claim.
Also Read: Video of Man Cleaning Table with Indian Flag Is Neither New nor from Andhra Pradesh
Fact Check
We started our fact checking process by briefly sharing the reason behind the prolonged violence in manipur, then later on we will discuss Adani Wilmar. According to India Today, “At the centre of the ongoing unrest and protests in Manipur by thousands of people opposing the demand for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST list, was the Manipur high court’s order.”
The report further said, “The order was passed by a bench of the Acting Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court, MV Muralidharan, in a petition filed by some members of the Meitei Tribe Union seeking directions to the state of Manipur to recommend inclusion of the Meiti community Scheduled Tribes list.
The court directed the state to consider the case of the petitioners for inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list, expeditiously, and sought the state government’s response to the Centre’s 2013 letter on demand for the grant of ST status to Meiteis.”
The court deemed it suitable to instruct the state to present its recommendation to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs within a reasonable timeframe. Additionally, the court directed the state to promptly consider the petitioners’ case for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list, preferably within a span of four weeks.
The Kukis, another significant community in Manipur, have a population nearly equal to that of the Meiteis but currently possess more than 85 per cent of the state’s land. Unlike the Meiteis, the Kukis also enjoy the status of being recognized as a Tribal community. Consequently, the Kuki community did not view the decision of the Manipur High Court favourably, leading to protests that escalated into widespread violence. The tensions arising from disparities in land ownership, rights, and tribal recognition have contributed to the volatile situation in the region.
According to the Indian Express “ATSUM, the state’s apex tribal body, announced protests against the directive, the Hill Areas Committee (HAC), the autonomous body empowered to monitor legislation and administration of hill areas of the state, unanimously resolved to urge the Government of Manipur and the Government of India to go for Appeals against the High Court order taking into account the “sentiments and interests/rights of the Scheduled Tribes of Manipur.”
Having analyzed the situation in Manipur, it appears that the violence originated from the Manipur High Court’s decision, which was in favour of the Meitei community. Subsequent protests, primarily led by the All India Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM), escalated into riots and violence. So far, there is no evidence to suggest any direct intervention by the central government in the Manipur violence, and the involvement of Adani or any other corporate entity does not seem to hold merit based on the available information.
Now, let us address the claims made by communist apostles. They allege a nexus between Adani Enterprises’ exit from the Wilmar joint venture and the Manipur Chief Minister’s apology. Is there any connection between these two unrelated events?
In 2021 the government of India signed a deal with the Manipur government for palm tree plantations to meet the demand for edible oils, thus restricting the import of edible oil at an enormous cost. However, out of 22 states which have potential areas for palm oil plantations, Manipur ranks significantly below. Moreover, Adani Wilmar’s group which deals in the edible oil business doesn’t appear to be the front runner in grabbing the rights of Manipur palm oil plantations.
According to the report from last year by the Economic Times, “Diversified agri-business firm Godrej Agrovet on Tuesday said it has inked MoUs with Assam, Manipur and Tripura governments for development and promotion of oil palm cultivation under a central scheme. Godrej Agrovet is the largest oil palm processor in India and works directly with farmers for the entire crop cycle.”
As per information available on the Wilmar International website, Adani Wilmar primarily sources palm oil from Indonesia, followed by Malaysia, and jointly from Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka. In the context of India, Adani Wilmar’s operations are established in various locations, including Haldia, Kakinada, Krishnapatnam, Mangalore, Mudra, and Hazira.
Based on this data, we can draw three key conclusions to address the allegations regarding palm oil cultivation in Manipur:
1- The extent of land allocated for palm oil production in Manipur is notably smaller compared to other Indian states.
2- It is important to note that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Manipur government was signed by Godrej, not Adani Wilmar.
3- Adani Wilmar’s palm oil business was primarily import-oriented, with Indonesia and Malaysia being their main sources of supply.
To sum it up, there is no connection between Adani Enterprises’ exit from the Wilmar International joint venture and Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh’s apology and hope for peace in 2025. This is evident for two clear reasons: first, Adani Wilmar’s palm oil business was primarily import-focused, sourcing from Indonesia and Malaysia; second, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Manipur government was signed by Godrej, not Adani Wilmar. Therefore, the conspiracy theories propagated by communists are baseless and lack any factual foundation.
