Take immediate action and arrest Gautam Adani: Cong chief Kharge to Modi govt

Bengaluru: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday urged the Centre to immediately take action against billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani, following his indictment in the US in a bribery case.

Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government of shielding Adani, he said the Congress will raise the issue during the upcoming Parliament session and demand an inquiry into the charges.

"We will raise the issue in the Parliament and we will demand an inquiry. As he (Adani) is in India, action should be taken against him, he should be arrested. The government knows everything, so they should quickly take action against him in corruption cases," Kharge told reporters here.

Adani has been charged by US prosecutors for allegedly being part of an elaborate scheme to pay USD 265 million (about Rs 2,200 crore) bribe to Indian officials in exchange for favourable terms for solar power contracts.

Adani, India's second-richest man, and seven others, including his nephew Sagar, have been charged by the US Department of Justice with paying bribes to unidentified officials of state governments in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to buy expensive solar power, potentially earning more than USD 2 billion in profit over 20 years.

Adani group has denied all charges and termed them as "baseless".

Noting that for five to six years, the Congress has repeatedly raised the issue, he said, "They (Adani and company) are involved in corruption cases. But Modi does not even utter anything against him."

"Home Minister Amit Shah has ED, CBI with him. Despite having all these agencies, why is no inquiry being done? Last time when we raised the issue following the Hindenburg report they were dismissive about it, saying it is foreign thing, it is false."

The Congress has been saying things against Adani, and will continue to say what it has to, the party chief said. "But from abroad too corruption allegations are coming, they (US) are clearly saying it. If the allegations are false, file a defamation case against them. You may accuse us (Congress) of making allegations politically, but everybody is saying it -- Hindenburg, America..."

Further, he said his party's concern is that India's assets are being "given" to Adani. Airports, ports, public sectors, land, energy sectors are being given to him (to operate).

"If he (Adani) does things in a legal manner, we have no objection. Government land is being taken, based on those assets loans worth thousands of crores are being taken from government banks. As he is doing all these things, we feel that the government is fully protecting and helping him, and through him they (BJP) are obtaining help or benefits for their party," he said.

In what seems to be comments directed at PM Modi, Kharge said, "Claiming to be just and clean in speeches is not enough, your conduct should also be clean..." "Several investments are being taken to his state (Gujarat), instead of others.

This will not lead to all India development or progress from Kanyakumari to Kashmir," the Congress veteran said, adding that "Making one person rich (hinting at Adani) will make small industries suffer. Other industrialists are also there. If you favour a person close to you so much, where will you encourage other industrialists?"

Kharge said going by the way things are being done "it seems they want to become quick crorepatis or billionaires, and want to be known among the richest in the world by creating fake records of assets." "So, he (Adani) is doing it, and he is being encouraged by Modi and Shah," he alleged.