“You think he is going to accept the charges?”: Rahul Gandhi Calls for the Arrest of Gautam Adani after Adani Group Denies US Bribery Charges

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at industrialist Gautam Adani and called for his arrest following statements from the Adani Group that its founder and his nephew, Sagar Adani, had not been charged with violations of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The indictment, filed by US authorities, alleges securities fraud and bribery involving significant monetary penalties.

“You think Adani is going to accept the charges, which world are you living in? Obviously, he is going to deny the charges. The point is he has to be arrested. As we have said, hundreds of people are being arrested on tiny charges. The gentleman has been indicted in the United States for thousands of crores, he should be in jail and the government is protecting him,” said Rahul Gandhi in a press interaction outside Parliament.

Since the US indictment of industrialist Gautam Adani, the senior Congress leader has called for his arrest. Previously, in a press conference last week, Rahul Gandhi alleged that Adani is scot fress because he is being protected by PM Modi. “PM Modi gave the call ‘ek hai too safe hai’. In India nothing will happen to Adani. As long as PM Modi is there, Adani is safe. Why is he still scot-free? In India Chief Ministers can get arrested but not Adani. Because Adani is protected by PM Modi. In fact PM Modi can’t do anything even if he wants”, said the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, further alleging that the country has been “hijacked” by Adani.

Rahul Gandhi’s criticism comes amidst ongoing discussions in Parliament, where the Adani bribery case became a key issue of contention between the ruling government and the Opposition. Both houses of the Parliament were suspended till 11am on November 28 on Wednesday, after the Opposition raised slogans demanding the Adani matter be discussed, disruption the proceedings of both the houses.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also weighed in on the controversy, accusing the “Modani ecosystem” of attempting to downplay the gravity of the charges. “Not surprisingly, the Modani ecosystem has let loose big legal cannons this morning. This laughable attempt cannot dilute the seriousness of the charges levelled by US agencies,” Ramesh said. He called for a probe into the Adani Group’s dealings by Indian agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation, and Securities and Exchange Board of India. “This is the moment of reckoning for our institutions,” Ramesh added, urging these bodies to act independently rather than being influenced by political-business interests.

In response to the grand old party’s criticism, BJP national spokesperson Tom Vadakkan accused the opposition of aligning with US investor George Soros in what he called an attempt to undermine India. "This is not an attack by the Congress but a Soros script being enacted in India," Vadakkan said. He alleged that the case was part of a broader international effort to harm India economically. Vadakkan also challenged the Congress to take legal action, saying, “They have the legal option. Then there will be a probe, and that probe will prove them wrong and the Soros connection will be exposed.”

The Adani Group earlier today has denied any wrongdoing. “Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani, and Vneet Jaain have not been charged with any violation of the FCPA in the counts set forth in the indictment of the US DOJ or the civil complaint of the US SEC,” said the Adani Group in a statement. Mukul Rohatgi, the Adani Group’s legal counsel, stated that the bribery accusations in the US indictment were vague and lacked specifics on who bribed whom. He added that neither Gautam Adani nor his associates had been named in key corruption or obstruction of justice charges.​