NEW DELHI: The BJP on Thursday hit back strongly at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the recent indictment of Gautam Adani in the US, accusing him of baselessly targeting the PM.
Addressing a press conference, BJP MP and spokesperson Sambit Patra avoided commenting on the allegations against the Adani Group by US agencies but highlighted that the states reportedly involved in the alleged bribery—Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh—were governed by opposition parties during the period in question (July 2021 to February 2022).
“All four states named in the documents had neither BJP chief ministers nor BJP-supported governments. They were all governed by Congress and its allies,” Patra said, suggesting that any irregularities occurred under opposition-led administrations.
Patra further criticized Congress for what he termed as hypocrisy, demanding answers from Rahul Gandhi. He pointed out that Congress-led or allied governments had significant dealings with the Adani Group. “Why did Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel accept a ₹25,000 crore investment from the Adani Group? Why did Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot approve ₹65,000 crore in investments? Why did Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah sign an MoU for ₹1 lakh crore with Adani? And why did Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, where Congress has alliances, allow investments of ₹4,500 crore and ₹35,000 crore respectively?” he questioned.
Patra also referred to an alleged ₹100 crore grant taken by Telangana CM Revanth Reddy from the Adani Foundation on October 19, 2024, for skill development, while Congress continued to label Adani as corrupt. “Congress and Rahul Gandhi must answer these contradictions,” he added.
The BJP leader accused Rahul of repeatedly attempting to tarnish Modi’s image since 2002, referencing the Gujarat riots. He recalled Rahul’s earlier allegations, such as corruption in the Rafale deal and criticism over Covid vaccines, which were dismissed by the Supreme Court.
Patra urged Rahul to take his claims to court if he believed in their validity instead of making public statements. He also criticized Rahul’s remarks suggesting Congress was performing the judiciary’s role, calling it contempt of court and evidence of his lack of understanding of legal and technical issues.
He further alleged that Rahul’s comments were damaging to India’s economy, claiming they caused a dip in the stock market, resulting in losses for over 2.5 crore investors. “Rahul Gandhi’s actions not only target the BJP but harm the Indian economy and investors,” Patra concluded.
