LIVE | Adani's indictment in US: Conglomerate denies bribery charges

The BJP has dubbed Rahul Gandhi’s attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the US prosecutors’ indictment of Gautam Adani on alleged bribery and fraud charges as part of his long-running efforts to target its leader, and noted that none of the four states named in American courts had a BJP government.

Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra made it clear that as far as allegations against the Adani Group are concerned it is for the company to issue a clarification and defend itself.

“Law will take its own course,” he said, while keeping the focus on Rahul’s allegations against the prime minister and the BJP government at the Centre.

Citing the Adani Group’s investment in various states ruled by the Congress and its allies, Patra noted that it invested Rs 25,000 crore and Rs 65,000 crore in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, respectively, when Bhupesh Baghel and Ashok Gehlot were at the helm there, respectively.

The conglomerate invested Rs 45,000 crore in the DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu and had recently given Rs 100 crore donation to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for a skill development foundation, he added.

If Adani is “corrupt”, then why are the Congress governments seeking investment from his company, he asked.

The Congress, Patra alleged, cannot tolerate the Indian economy gaining in strength with Modi as prime minister, as it is now on track to become the third biggest global economy.

Rahul Gandhi has been trying to target the Indian economy by making all kinds of allegations, and over 2.5 crore investors even on Thursday lost a lot of money as the stock market tanked, he said.

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah has said the Centre should take the allegations against the Adani Group seriously and investigate the matter thoroughly.

“If it has happened, it needs to be investigated,” he said.

“There is a demand for JPC. I hope the Central government will take the issue seriously and investigate it thoroughly,” Abdullah told reporters.

With billionaire Gautam Adani charged in an alleged bribery and fraud case in the US, Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale on Thursday (November 21) asked if the Narendra Modi-led government was involved in it.

Gokhale said while markets were reacting to the news of the indictment, the government was "silent" on the issue.

In a post on X, Gokhale shared a market update that showed the stocks of Adani Energy going down.

"Bloodbath in Adani Energy stock after the US indictment news," the TMC MP said.

"Markets are reacting but Govt of India is completely silent. Charges are of bribing a govt-owned PSU. How much is Modi & BJP's involvement?" Gokhale said.

In another post, the Rajya Sabha MP said the main thing in the indictment is that bribes are alleged to have been paid out to PSUs and govt companies.

"This is deeply rotten. With Indian agencies being compromised and acting as wings of the BJP, only an independent judicial probe will expose the truth," he said.

TMC MP Mahua Moita also took to X and posted that the charges include paying bribes to government officials to "purchase energy at above-market rates benefitting Adani renewables".

Sharing a release by the US Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York, Moitra said, "Adani and seven of his senior executives indicted in connection with scheme to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes and conceal bribery scheme from US investors."

She also took a dig at Stock Exchange Board of India (SEBI) chief Madhabi Puri Buch.

"Good morning Ms. Madhabi 'No Proof Against Adani Buch'. Good morning spineless compromised Sebi. Here is SEC press release detailing your Bro's dealings," she said sharing a press release on the matter by the US Securities and Exchange Commission.