India’s opposition questions Modi govt over Adani case developments in US
New Delhi: India’s opposition parties have said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has struck an ‘Adani deal’ following reports that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has moved to drop criminal fraud charges against billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the development comes amid a reported settlement in a parallel civil case with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Reports suggest the DOJ could formally dismiss the charges. Adani, chairman of the Adani Group, was indicted in 2024 over allegations of securities and wire fraud linked to an alleged $250–265 million bribery scheme involving solar energy contracts in India and misleading US investors.
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, directly linked the development to recent India-US trade negotiations, saying that corporate interests were being prioritized over national interests. In a post on X, he said: “The compromised PM did not strike a trade deal, but a bargain for Adani’s release.”
Rajya Sabha MP and RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha also described the move as “quid pro quo”, suggesting it raised serious questions about the India-US trade deal.
D. Raja, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), said the government’s foreign policy was driven by “political servility rather than national interest,” adding that powerful corporate interests were influencing decision-making.
He said: “It is widely believed that Trump is using the legal cases against Modi’s favourite billionaire Gautam Adani as leverage to arm-twist India into deals harmful to our sovereignty and economy.
The opposition’s criticism frames the reported US move as evidence of a deeper “Modani” nexus — a term used by critics to point to close ties between Modi and Adani. They say the Prime Minister’s administration has long shielded the Adani Group from scrutiny, both domestically and internationally.
