Congress leader Rahul Gandhi raised questions on Wednesday about billionaire Gautam Adani and accused him of 'over-invoicing' coal imports and taking away Rs 12,000 crore from people. Addressing reporters in the national capital, the Waynad MP also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence over the issue.
Citing a news report in The Financial Times, Gandhi claimed that Adani buys coal in Indonesia, and by the time the coal arrives in India, its price doubles. He further said that electricity prices are going up, and Adani takes money from the poorest people. "Adani buys coal in Indonesia, and by the time the coal arrives in India, its price doubles. Our electricity prices are going up. He (Adani) takes money from the poorest people... This story would bring down any government. This is direct theft."
This comes after Congress Central Election Committee held a meeting at AICC headquarters in Delhi following which the party is expected to release the first list of candidiates for Rajasthan and second lists for Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
During his address, Rahul Gandhi alleged, "In a report from the famous Financial Times, London, Now we know that Adani Group has committed another fraud of Rs 12,000 crore. So now the total corruption of the Adani Group stands at Rs 32,000 crore. They overinvoice their coal imports, and when the coal enters India, its price changes leading to surge in electricity prices. These Rs 12,000 crore are getting paid from the pocket of common masses."
The Wayanad MP said that Congress is already providing subsidies in Karnataka. Rahul Gandhi said," We are also ready to provide subsidies in Madhya Pradesh. No media has an interest in this story. No one is interested in asking questions from the Adani group. This cannot happen without protection being provided from Prime Minister. Adani buys coal in Indonesia, and by the time the coal arrives in India, its price doubles. Our electricity prices are going up."
Rahul Gandhi further alleged that Adani Group is involved in a direct theft of public money. "This time the theft is happening from the pockets of the public.When you push the button for a switch, Adani gets money in his pocket.Enquiry is happening in different countries, and people are asking questions, but nothing is happening in India," he said.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi has approached the Bombay High Court seeking to quash a defamation complaint filed against him. The complaint is related to his remarks that allegedly linked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to the 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh.
In his petition, Gandhi argued that the case against him can not be clubbed with that filed against Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury as they made the statements in question on different occasions and belong to two different parties with distinct or even opposite ideologies, reported news agency PTI.
Justice S V Kotwal has scheduled the hearing for December 5. Gauri Lankesh, a Bengaluru-based journalist and activist, was murdered outside her home on September 5, 2017, allegedly by right-wing extremists, PTI reported.
According to the news agency, Dhrutiman Joshi, a lawyer, filed a private complaint before a magistrate in 2017 against Rahul Gandhi, his mother and fellow Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, and Yechury, seeking action against them for alleged defamation under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code.
In 2019, the magistrate's court dismissed the case against Sonia Gandhi but issued notice to Rahul Gandhi and Yechury. Subsequently, both of them filed an application seeking to dismiss the complaint on the grounds that they should not be put on trial jointly. However, the magistrate's court rejected the application, following which Rahul Gandhi moved the HC in August this year.
As per the Congress leader's petition, he and Yechury belong to different political parties, having very distinct and even opposite ideologies, and a joint trial will cause prejudice to Gandhi's case.