Chennai, Nov 21: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that Gautam Adani should be arrested immediately and his ‘protector’ Madhabi Puri Buch should be probed.
“It is now pretty clear and established in America that Mr Adani has broken both American law and Indian law. He has been indicted in the United States and I am wondering why Mr Adani is still running around a free man in this country?” questioned Raul Gandhi.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi claimed that recent developments vindicate his long-standing allegations against billionaire Gautam Adani.
“We have been raising this again and again and again. We have raising it with the Madhabi Buch issue and it is a vindication of what we have been saying. The prime minister is protecting Mr Adani and the prime minister is involved in corruption with Mr Adani. This is being clearly indicated,” said Rahul Gandhi.
Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Ek hain to safe hain’ slogan, Gandhi said that as long as the prime minister and Gutam Adani are together, they are safe in India.
“No action will be taken against Adani in India. Chief ministers have been jailed for scams of ₹10-15 crore, but Gautam Adani, who has committed a scam of ₹2,000 crore is walking free. He should be arrested immediately, and his protector, Madhabi Puri Buch, should be removed and investigated for not taking action,” Rahul Gandhi added.
The US Department of Justice has indicted Gautam Adani, the founder of Adani Group, his nephew Sagar Adani, and other senior Adani Green executives for allegedly bribing or offering bribes to the tune of $265 million to Indian state government officials to get them to sign solar power contracts, while raising money for the same projects in the US by promising that the company abided by anti-bribery laws.
This constitutes fraud under US federal securities law and, if proven, may invite criminal liabilities.The US case rests on the premise that Adani Green bribed government officials in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, and possibly Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), to get their power distribution companies (discoms) to commit to purchasing solar power at above market rates.
The timeline of the alleged bribes is from the middle of 2021 to the end of 2021. Biju Janata Dal, YSR Congress, DMK, and Congress governed four of the states mentioned, while J&K was effectively under central BJP rule.