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NEW DELHI — Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday demanded the immediate arrest of Gautam Adani after the billionaire industrialist was charged in the US for alleged bribery and fraud.
Addressing a press conference here hours after the US prosecutors charged Adani and associates for allegedly paying USD 250 million bribe to Indian officials, the Congress leader said it is now pretty clear and established in the US that the businessman has broken Indian as well as American laws.
The Adani group denied the charges, saying the allegations by US prosecutors are baseless and the conglomerate is compliant with all laws. It also said that all possible legal recourse will be sought.
Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Ek hain to safe hain’ slogan, Gandhi said as long as the prime minister and Adani are together, “they are safe” in India.
He said Adani should be arrested immediately and interrogated while his “protector” and SEBI chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch should be removed from her post and a probe should be initiated.
Gandhi further said he will raise the issue during the Winter session of Parliament beginning Monday. The entire opposition is together on the matter and will jointly raise the issue, he said.
He said the opposition’s demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the transactions of the Adani Group stands.
“I can guarantee that Adani won’t be arrested or investigated in India because the Modi government is protecting him,” Gandhi alleged.
When pointed out that nothing was happening in India against Adani despite Gandhi raising the issue several times, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said a lot has happened ever since he started raising the Adani issue.
“The PM’s credibility has been destroyed. The entire country knows they Adani and PM are one. We will expose everyone and the entire network. Madhabi Buch was the first example,” he said.
“India is in the grip of Adani. Adani is controlling India. We will not spare them,” Gandhi said. “I’m confident we will work slowly and in the end, we will dismantle this structure.”
“This is a political-financial-bureaucracy network as it captures India’s political system (on one hand) with money and on the other hand, they work for profit. It is a virtuous cycle which is negative for the country,” he said.
Gandhi said criminality and corruption are two different issues. But if Adani is working under due process, we don’t have a problem,” the senior Congress leader said.
“It is up to the government to investigate. Catch Adani and put him behind bars.”
Gandhi claimed the retail and small investors would suffer losses because of this and stressed that it was his job as the leader of opposition to warn them.
He said investigations should cover all states, irrespective of which party was in power.
“It is now pretty clear and established in the US that Mr Adani has broken both American and Indian laws. I’m wondering why Adani is running around a free man,” he said.
The former Congress chief said while chief ministers have been arrested for smaller allegations, Adani has been involved in a Rs 2,000 crore scam and he is still going scot-free.
Gandhi said the charges made by US prosecutors against Adani and his associates “is a vindication of what we have been saying”.
Accusing Prime Minister Modi of protecting Adani, the former Congress chief said, “The PM is clearly protecting him. It is my job to raise this issue. We want Adani to be arrested immediately.”
“We want to show the country that Adani ji will not be arrested because the PM is protecting him,” he said, adding, “Even after a scam of Rs 2,000 crore, I guarantee he will neither be arrested nor will there be any probe against him.”
Asked about some states ruled by non-BJP parties being named by the US prosecutors, he said, “Wherever this has happened, be it any government, there should be an investigation. But the one involved in the corruption should be jailed.”