The indictment of Gautam Adani by US prosecutors, alleging bribery and fraud, is expected to echo in Parliament during the upcoming winter session. With Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi saying that the opposition will be raising the issue of Adani in the upcoming session, all eyes are on how the ruling BJP will be able to navigate through the firestorm.
BJP GEARING UP FOR A STORMY WINTER SESSION
The Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, has wasted no time in attacking the BJP, alleging a close nexus between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gautam Adani. The opposition has seized upon the US prosecutors report, which accuses Adani and others of bribing state electricity distribution companies (SDCs) to secure solar energy contracts.
In response, the BJP has swiftly hit back, challenging the credibility of the allegations and questioning the opposition’s own accountability. The party has highlighted that the states named in the indictment — Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh — were under the governance of opposition parties (BJD, DMK, Congress, and YSRCP) during the period of alleged bribery between July 2021 and February 2022.
BJP’s COUNTER-ATTACK STRATEGY
1. Blaming Opposition Parties: The BJP has turned the spotlight on the opposition, asking why their governments allowed alleged bribes to be paid to state agencies. BJP leaders are demanding answers from Congress and its allies on their role during this period.
2. Presumption of Innocence: The ruling party has underscored that the US indictment contains only allegations, not proven charges. They have pointed to the report’s own disclaimer that the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
3. Global vs. Domestic Politics: BJP leaders have raised concerns over the opposition relying on a foreign report to attack an Indian company, arguing that such allegations, if true, should be addressed within Indian legal frameworks. They have drawn parallels, stating that Indian courts could similarly indict American companies for corrupt practices in India, raising whether foreign governments would tolerate interference in their domestic politics.
4. Timing of the Allegations: The BJP has questioned the timing of the report, suggesting it is part of a politically motivated strategy to destabilise the government ahead of the winter session starting November 25. The party has also linked the timing to developments in the US, including Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, hinting at geopolitical undercurrents.
KEY ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ADANI GROUP
The indictment alleges that Adani Green Energy, in collaboration with US-based Azure Power, secured a 12 GW solar power contract with SECI. To push state electricity distribution companies into accepting costly power agreements, the companies allegedly paid $265 million in bribes across four states in India. Andhra Pradesh reportedly received the largest share of these payments.
However, the Adani Group has strongly denied allegations of bribery and securities fraud as “baseless.”