Spokesperson: Prof. Gourav Vallabh: He said that all of the BJP government’s claims have been exposed in the last 8 years- whether tall or false. The BJP government has been all about antics and substance. When its incompetence is showing itself across all spheres, it has yet again resorted to cheap tricks. The questioning of Shri Rahul Gandhi by the ED over the last few days is a clear case of maligning his reputation and a mere political stunt. All the central agencies have been reduced to pawns in the hands of the government.

This is a series of events that the country is witnessing where a once reputed agency such as the ED can no longer be called by the Enforcement Directorate but is busy in taking Enforced Directives by the central government. Today, I wish to bring forward instances of two serious allegations-

1. The Chairman of the Sri Lankan state-owned Ceylon Electricity Board claimed before a parliamentary panel that the honourable PM of our country pressurized Sri Lankan President Shri Gotabaya Rajapaksa to award a wind power project to the Adani Group. This is perhaps the first and only incident in the history of our country that allegations of such nature have been levelled against a PM. Why did the honourable PM want to pass on undue favours to a private individual? Why did the PM lower India’s pride by acting as a sales agent for a private individual? What was his compulsion? Why are ED and other agencies sleeping on this information?

2. As soon as the Modi government came to power in 2014, SBI drafted an in-principal agreement with the Adani group for a $1 Billion (Rs. 7,825 Crores) facility and brought in several banks worldwide to provide funding. After constant protests, SBI backed off and scrapped the MoU. In 2020, news of another loan of Rs. 5,000 crores by State Bank of India to Adani’s Carmichael coal project in Australia became public. Pressure from investors like Amundi and AXA led to SBI’s loan being stuck. There have been no further updates since last year about the loan status. This looks like a concerted effort by someone to provide a loan to the Adani group. Does this not warrant ED’s intervention to call upon and investigate the involved individuals or entities? Several other instances have warranted severe action by the central agencies, including the ED, but the agencies have chosen to look the other way.

We have three precise questions for the BJP government:

1. The honourable PM was allegedly batting for business gains for a private individual in a foreign land. Isn’t this a case of corruption worth investigating? Which bureaucrats or ministers is the ED planning to call for an investigation?
2. Has the ED ever called anyone from the Adani group, or is it planning to call to investigate these serious allegations?
3. What credibility does an agency like ED have who is on a political witch-hunt but failing on its duty of investigating severe allegations and crimes? Thursday, June 23, 2022