Saturday, 23 NOVEMBER 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Congress here has demanded a comprehensive Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the functioning of the Adani Group. The demand comes in the wake of the US federal allegations that Adani Group bribed government officials in some Indian States to ensure that the power distribution companies (DISCOMS) bought overpriced solar power from the company.
Raising the demand in a Press conference at the State Congress headquarters here on Friday, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara said that the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) which is the US equivalent of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), has accused Gautam Adani and seven of his associates for orchestrating a Rs 2,000 crore bribery to secure high price solar power contracts in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha and Tamil Nadu. He said that the US federal allegations have vindicated the stand of Congress leader and leader of opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Adani and his close relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mahara said that the bribery is a crime in India and criminal proceedings should be initiated against Adani in the country. He added that the indictment in the US shows that Adani falsely claimed to SEBI that no investigations are going on against him. The PCC president said that the scams of Adani Group have increased the electricity prices in some States. He claimed that the Adani Group is also involved in overpricing of coal due to which the electricity tariffs doubled in Gujarat between 2021 and 2022.
Mahara said that it is unfortunate that the SEBI has failed to complete its investigation in Adani’s case even 20 months after the Supreme Court executive committee gave it a two-month deadline. He said that while opposition chief ministers are arrested for allegations amounting to Rs 31 crore or Rs 100 crore allegations, a close ally of the PM with allegations amounting to Rs 2,000 crore is roaming free.
