New Delhi: The opposition was swift to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi for maintaining silence on the Adani issue in Washington when asked about the bribery and fraud charges brought by US prosecutors against billionaire.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the Prime Minister ‘covered up Adani’s corruption’ even in America.
“In the country, asking questions is met with silence. In abroad, it’s deemed a personal matter! Even in America, Modi covered up Adani’s corruption! When filling friend’s pockets is ‘nation-building’ for Modi, then bribery and looting the nation’s wealth becomes a ‘personal matter’,” Gandhi said.
This comes after Narendra Modi, during a joint briefing with US President Donald Trump, said ‘personal matters’ were not discussed during their bilateral meeting.
“India is a democracy and our culture is ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, we consider the whole world as one family. I believe every Indian is mine. And when it comes to such personal matters, two leaders of two countries will not get together on the topic and discuss anything on an individual matter,” Modi said, when asked to comment on the bribery charges against Adani.
A masterpiece response by our Modi Ji on corruption charges on Adani Group by the US government. It’s hilarious. 🤣.
India’s spineless Godi Media shamelessly bats for BJP and him day and night, and mostly helps Modi and BJP win elections.… pic.twitter.com/Yg9vP1S73i
— Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) February 14, 2025
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale attacked the Prime Minister for his silence in the matter. The MP claimed Modi appeared “angry and flustered” when the question on Adani was asked. “PM Modi is forced to do a press conference in the US – something he hasn’t done in India in 11 years. This is why he never takes press questions in India. This is why his ‘interviews’ in India are fully scripted. He is so angry and flustered,” Gokhale wrote on X.
Adani, his nephew and several others were indicted in the US last year over bribery and securities fraud charges. The US prosecutors alleged that Adani promised around Rs 2,029 crore in bribes to state government officials in India in exchange for solar power contracts between 2020-2024. The indictment happened during Joe Biden’s tenure. Adani Group has declined such allegations.Earlier this week, Trump put a halt to the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act, which is the same regulation that was applied to Adani’s case.
