The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday hit back at Rahul Gandhi, after the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha questioned the Narendra Modi government over US authorities indicting industrialist Gautam Adani for bribery charges.
At a press conference, Gandhi demanded Adani’s arrest and said,“We are going to raise this issue (in Parliament). It is my responsibility as LoP to raise this issue. The PM is 100% protecting this man (Adani) and this man fully supports BJP. We will reiterate the demand for a JPC.”
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra while saying that “law will take its own course”, trained guns at the Congress leader.
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“Since 2002, Rahul Gandhi, his mother Sonia Gandhi and the Congress have been trying to tarnish Modi’s image, but they have not succeeded and the prime minister received the highest civilian award in a foreign country on a day the opposition party was attacking him,” PTI quoted Patra as saying.
‘If Adani is corrupt, why are Cong govts seeking investments from him?’: BJP
During the press conference, Patra cited the Adani Group’s investments in states ruled by Congress and allies.
“ It (Adani Group) invested ₹25k crore and ₹65k crore in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan when Bhupesh Baghel and Ashok Gehlot were at the helm there respectively. The conglomerate invested ₹45k crore in the DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu and had recently given ₹100 crore donation to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for a skill development foundation,” Patra added.
“If Adani is “corrupt”, then why are the Congress governments seeking investment from his company?” the BJP leader asked.
Continuing his attack on Rahul Gandhi, Patra invoked the Congress leader’s allegations against Rafale deal.
“Today, once again Rahul Gandhi held a press conference. Once again, he showed the same behaviour and has put things in the same way that he has been doing. There was nothing new in the PC. He has a few names, ways using which he does PC and tries to level allegations against BJP, PM Modi.”
“I remember that Rahul Gandhi had appeared with the Rafale issue in 2019 in a similar fashion. He had claimed that a big revelation will be made. During the Covid pandemic, he used to do press conference in similar fashion over vaccine. However, he had to apologise before the Supreme Court later,” he added.
“I want to ask Rahul Gandhi… the way we used to file case and not just hold press conference… you also file a case, go to the court. Rahul Gandhi, in his PC, said that the Congress party is doing the work of the judiciary too. The mother-son duo is out on bail and they are doing the work of judiciary! Half of them are out on bail and they are doing the work of judiciary!” Patra said.
US authorities indict Gautam Adani
The US Department of Justice has indicted Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and other senior Adani Green executives for allegedly bribing or offering bribes worth $265 million to Indian state government officials to get them sign solar power contracts.
Adani and others have also been indicted for allegedly raising money for the same projects in the US by promising that the firm abided by anti-bribery laws.
The Adani Group has rejected charges levelled by the US prosecutors. “The allegations made by the US Department of Justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission against directors of Adani Green are baseless and denied,” the business conglomerate said in a statement.
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