The BJP has come out strongly in defense of industrialist Gautam Adani following his indictment in a bribery case by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
The indictment accuses Adani, along with other associates, of securities and wire fraud and a bribery scheme aimed at securing funds from US investors and global financial institutions through false statements.
In a strongly worded statement, BJP leader Amit Malviya took to X to question the timing of the indictment and alleged political motives behind its release. He accused the opposition Congress and its allies of leveraging the case to further their political narrative.
“The timing of the report, just before the Parliament session and Donald Trump’s impending Presidency, raises several questions. That the Congress is willing to be a prop in the hands of George Soros and his cabal speaks volumes,” the Malviya remarked.
Responding to the Congress leader Jairam Ramesh’s post, demanding a JPC probe into the matter, the BJP leader said the court documents Ramesh quoted says, “The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
Referring to the allegations against Mr Adani, Malviya further stated that the charges stem from agreements to supply 12 GW of power to the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), involving both Indian and US companies. Under this agreement, Adani Green Energy and Azure Power, a US renewable energy firm, were allotted 8 GW and 4 GW of power supply, respectively.
“Since the power was costly, the SDCs (State electricity distribution companies) were not willing to buy. Therefore, the Adanis (in collusion with Azure Power; a US firm) paid the equivalent of US $265 million to SDCs based in Odisha (BJD ruled), Tamil Nadu (DMK), Chhattisgarh (Congress), and Andhra Pradesh (YSRCP) between Jul 21 and Feb 22 (by far the largest to AP). All the States mentioned here were Opposition ruled during that time. So, before you pontificate, answer on the bribes the Congress and its allies accepted,” Malviya added.
He further criticised the involvement of foreign entities in domestic politics, stating, “An Indian Court can similarly, on legitimate grounds, accuse American firms of bribing US government officials, to deny access to Indian markets. Should we then allow law to take its course and the concerned corporate to defend or plant ourselves in the domestic politics of a foreign country?”
The criminal charges also implicate other individuals, including former executives of a renewable energy company traded on the New York Stock Exchange and employees of a Canadian institutional investor, for conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
The indictment of Gautam Adani by the US has given the Opposition fresh ammo to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Opposition Congress has, on several occasions, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of shielding Mr Adani.
Even during the recent assembly elections in Maharashtra, the Congress made Modi’s links to Adani a key election issue. The BJP, however, has maintained that it has become the habit of the Congress to target the country’s wealth creators.