Earlier, Congress had stated that there was an “intimate nexus” between the PM and his “favourite businessman,” and slammed the “abject failure” of SEBI to investigate the Adani Group.
After senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani and former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi came forward to defend billionaire Gautam Adani against corruption and fraud charges, Congress called out the “Modani ecosystem” for trying to do damage control through denial. Calling it a “laughable attempt,” party leader Jairam Ramesh stated that the Adani Group chairman and those associated with him cannot escape from the serious charges raised by US agencies.
Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and other associates have been accused by US authorities of alleged corruption involving $265 million in bribes to secure solar power contracts across Indian states.
Also Read | Adani Bribery Charges: Senior Lawyers Comes Out In Support
Mahesh Jethmalani criticised the Congress party for using the matter as a “political tool” after their loss in the Maharashtra elections. The senior lawyer then accused the INDIA alliance of its “constant reference” to the industrialist and the Manipur ethnic violence and acting as the “mouthpieces” of “external forces” to undermine India.
The party leader cited the Department of Justice indictment document wherein Adani and his associates have been accused of devising a scheme to “offer, authorize, make and promise to make bribe payments to Indian government officials” in exchange for them to cause state electricity distribution companies to execute PSAs.
Not surprisingly, the Modani ecosystem has let loose big legal cannons this morning. Now faced with serious action in other countries whose systems it cannot intimidate or erode, the Modani ecosystem is attempting damage control through denial. This laughable attempt cannot…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) November 27, 2024
“By rights, the ED, CBI, and SEBI should be carrying out investigations proactively in the face of these revelations. It is for them to carry out their obligation to the nation, rather than act as tools of a corrupt political-business nexus,” stated Ramesh.
Also Read | Adani Group Responds To US Allegations, Says No Bribery Charges Against Them
Although the Adani Group has dismissed the allegations as “baseless” and “incorrect,” opposition leaders pointed out the lack of action and the growing silence by regulatory and investigative agencies in India over the matter.
TMC leader Mahua Moitra slammed SEBI and CBI for being silent despite the FBI having issued the warrant in 2023. “Indian stock markets are thanking today because we have all been made a monkey of by the Adani group and the corrupt cronies of Modi and the BJP government,” she said.
“This is the moment of reckoning for our institutions and the Indians who occupy those offices. History will neither forgive nor forget this moment,” highlighted Ramesh.
Signing off with “Satyameva Jayate,” the Congress leader reassured that the party will continue their efforts to raise the issue in the Parliament.
Also Read | After Total Energies Halts New Investments, Fresh Trouble For Adani From Andhra
Since the allegations, French oil major Total Energies announced a halt to further investments in Adani Green Energy. The Andhra Pradesh government, led by Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav, initiated a review of a power supply agreement connected to the conglomerate.
Kenyan President William Ruto has terminated two major deals involving the Adani Group, including a KSh96.68 billion power transmission project with the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) and a proposed KSh230 billion lease of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
