Lok Sabha’s Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the Congress has been forced to do the job of media, investigative agencies, and partly judiciary, as he demanded the arrest of billionaire Gautam Adani who is facing indictment from a US court in a solar power bribery scandal.
Taking a jibe over Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly protecting the Adani Group, he said agencies like CBI and Sebi should show similar alertness to take action against Gautam Adani as they did to arrest Chief Ministers of Delhi, Jharkhand and others.
Addressing a press conference hours after the US prosecutors charged Adani and associates for allegedly paying $250 million bribes to Indian officials to get the solar contract in Andhra Pradesh, Rahul Gandhi said it is now pretty clear and established in the US that the businessman has broken Indian as well as American laws.
“He has been indicted in the US. I am wondering why Mr Adani is running around a free man in this country. CMs have been arrested.. Adani has apparently done ₹2000 crore scam and multiple others probably but he is running scot-free…,” Rahul Gandhi told reporters.
A spokesperson of Adani Group stated that the allegations made by the US Department of Justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission against directors of Adani Green are “baseless and denied”.
“As stated by the US Department of Justice itself, “the charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.” All possible legal recourse will be sought,” the spokesperson insisted.
US prosecutors accused Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani, Vineet Jaain and others had offered and promised Indian government officials approx. ₹2029 crore (approx. 265 million) in bribes between 2020 and 2024 to win solar energy contracts in Andhra Pradesh.
Meanwhile, Gandhi also stated Congress has been raising Adani scams repeatedly but nothing has happened since the instruments of action are with the government, referring to agencies.
“..We have been raising this again and again…It’s a vindication of what we have been saying, the PM is protecting Mr Adani and the PM is involved in corruption with MR Adani..,” Gandhi charged.
Building on Narendra Modi’s ‘Ek hain to safe hain’ slogan, Gandhi said that as long as the prime minister and Adani are together, they are safe in India.
“I can guarantee that Adani won’t be arrested or investigated in India because the Modi government is protecting him,” Gandhi alleged.
He reiterated the Congress demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into various irregularities committed by the Adani Group.
The former President of Congress also stated that he has no problem if Adani and Ambani do their business legally but if there is criminality, monopalisation then the Group should face investigation be it even in states ruled by Congress and other opposition parties or outside in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Kenya and United States.
He said that the country’s future will be damaged owing to Adani nexus between political finance and stock market. It is also harmful for retail investors and is against security and development of the nation which would eventually lead to social problems.
Gandhi also renewed the demand for “a new and credible” SEBI chairperson to replace incumbent Madhai Puri Buch, who is already under glare for her proximity to the top industrialist, to complete the securities law investigations into the “Adani Mega Scam”.
Earlier, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s actions have also put a question mark on the manner in which its Indian counterpart, SEBI, went about investigating violations of securities and other laws by the Adani Group and Its subject failure to hold the Group to account for the source of its investments, shell companies, etc.
“The indictment of Gautam Adani and others by the Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) of the US vindicates the demand that the Indian National Congress has been making since Jan 2023 for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation into the various Modani scams,” Ramesh said in a post on