Highlights of Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge’s bite to the media on Financial irregularities against the Adani Group in New Delhi on November 25, 2024.

Shri Mallikarjun Kharge said- I did not know the reason for adjournment of the House today. We had raised the Adani issue under 267. There are serious allegations of corruption, bribery and financial irregularities against the Adani Group. We wanted to put it before the House and a bribe of about Rs. 2,030 crore was given. Public money was used for bribe, we wanted to explain this to the Chairman also and if his ministers in the Parliament and the Prime Minister had also come, it would have been great as we were going to put these issues before them.

But the Adani Group Chairmen and CEOs have kept a record of this bribery as well. They have all the records of who was given money at what rate and how much money was given. The US intelligence agency has seized it and they have the records. Even earlier, the Adani Group people have been involved in stock manipulation, accounting fraud, over-invoicing and shell companies have also been used to manipulate stock prices. This allegation is also there.

Then wherever Modiji goes, this group gets contracts. I would like to tell you people that there is a very long list of which contracts Modiji has got at every place he has visited. I can even tell you about it. That is why we wanted that there should be a discussion on this in the House dispassionately. That is why postponing all the business that is going on today, there is a need to discuss only this under 267 and, because you must have seen that the papers and the media are flooded with this news since yesterday. This is causing loss to the country and due to which the world is losing faith in us directly. So, at this time, it is important to bring these things in the House. We had raised this issue to save the country, not to disturb the House. But Modi says that you are disturbing the House, you are creating a ruckus. Is this a ruckus?

He himself went to Bangladesh in June 2015 and gave the Jharkhand Electricity Export project to Adani for allocation. He went to Malaysia Mega Container Project in March 2017 and got the contract in April 2017. Israel Drone Manufacturing Haifa Port acquired in July 2017 and he got it in December 2018. Prime Minister went to Singapore where government-owned Singapore investment firm has invested Rs. 1000 crore in Adani Port. He visited in June 2018 and got the contract there.

Similarly, the Prime Minister visited Sri Lanka Container Terminal Port in 2020 and Adani Group got the contract in 2020. He went to Nepal to acquire two international airports in June 2013 and this is an ongoing process. Tanzania is a 30-year agreement and container terminal operation, this happened in October 2023, but he visited in May 2024. The main international airport in Kenya was built in December 2023 and now the project has been cancelled in March 2024. There are irregularities in it, that is why the President of Kenya cancelled it on the demand of the local people there. See, these outsiders are coming and looting our country, that is why this firm has got a bad name. That is why we do not want to hand over this to them, so that also happened. But when the Prime Minister went in December 2023, a plan was made to invest in the development of two airports and sea ports in Vietnam. Prime Minister Modi ji visited in July-August 2024 and this work is going on. Along with that, Greece - acquired stake in three Greek ports, so talks are going on to acquire these three ports. He visited there in August 2023 and the plan to acquire the ports is going on.

That is why I am telling you that wherever the Prime Minister has gone, he has got contracts there. Without his blessings, without his support, which country does this with him in so many countries. There are many reputed companies, investors in India, except him, and where do they go first! They go there and all this happens.

All we have to say is that all this is happening with the support of Modi Ji. This is affecting the country. We wanted to raise this issue but we were not given the opportunity to do so and along with that there is a question about the role of PSUs and SECI of the Central Government in promoting the business interest of a company and promoting corruption, facilitating the payment of bribes. This question is for them and wherever Modi Ji goes, this company and these people get the contract, how do they get it?

So, we raised this question today so that it could be discussed in detail, but unfortunately the government did not say anything to us for discussing it, did not react and the Chairman ‘sahab’ did not tell us that this issue cannot be raised. We have already taken such decisions about it that we cannot give any such opportunity in 267, this is his statement. But 267 is there only to raise such important issues, otherwise that rule should not have been there. Why was it brought - to raise such urgent issues. Like the issue of Manipur, like the day before yesterday a very big accident took place near the mosque, so this rule, this clause is there only to raise such things. Therefore, we want that we should be given an opportunity to raise these issues and we want that a Joint Parliamentary Committee, JPC, should be formed on this as everything is known in JPC, it is open, we can call for all the files in it and there are mostly people from his party, our people, people from other parties. Everyone gets representation in it and after meeting, everything will be clear.

That is why we demand that a JPC be formed. Let the truth come out and instead of saying all this outside, Modiji should improve his image. He goes to international forums and talks big and targets the opposition saying that the opposition people are spoiling his image. You are the one spoiling the image yourself. You are roaming around with businessmen, getting them contracts and an FIR for this, all this happened, corruption charges were imposed. Where - American companies are saying this.

So, these things should be discussed in detail, that is why we raised this. So, we did not get a chance, but we want that a Joint Parliamentary Committee should be formed and how much bribe did they give and why and when the Prime Minister went abroad, why did he take them along with him? Or how is he getting everything by coming before them, this is what we want to say.