New Delhi: Moving an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha demanding a discussion on the US’s indictment of business tycoon Gautam Adani on Monday, Congress MP Manickam Tagore demanded Prime Minister Modi to answer questions regarding his friendship with Adani, The News Minute reported.
Tagore said that the US’s indictment of Adani, with charges of bribery, securities fraud, and wire fraud, casts a dark cloud over the Adani Group. He pointed out that the bribery scheme involved more than $265 million in bribes to get lucrative solar power deals and defraud global investors.
He slammed the BJP-led Centre, saying, “The Modi government's silence on this matter undermines India's integrity, economy, and global reputation. Accountability must be ensured. The prime minister must answer the questions on his friendship with Adani & Adani scandal Profile.”
After the US’s indictment, Congress leader and the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrest him. Gandhi said that Modi was protecting Adani.
As per the indictment, US prosecutors allege that Adani and his associates conspired to bribe government officials to secure solar energy contracts for Adani Green Energy Ltd and Azure Power Global Ltd between 2020 and 2024. The projects are predicted to generate $2 billion in profits over 20 years, TNM reports.
It is alleged that the former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, is also involved in the scandal. He is accused of presenting Adani with the solar energy contract after taking a bribe of Rs 1750 crore.
Adani group, however, rejected the allegations of bribery and called them baseless. In a statement, it said that as per the US Department of Justice itself, the charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are innocent unless and until proven guilty.