Mahua Moitra's ‘personal mamla’ dig at PM Modi after US agency seeks India's help in Gautam Adani fraud probe

During a visit to Washington DC, PM Narendra Modi said he did not discuss the Adani case with President Trump.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has sought assistance from Indian authorities in its probe into Adani Group founder Gautam Adani and his nephew, Sagar Adani, over alleged securities fraud and a $265-million ( ₹2,200 crore approx.) bribery scheme, news agency Reuters reported, a court filing on Tuesday.

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has been vocal against businessman Gautam Adani.(File)

The regulator informed a New York district court that it was working to serve its complaint to the Adanis and has approached India's law ministry for assistance in the process, the report added.

"The SEC has requested assistance ... under the Hague service convention," it said in the court filing.

Adani Group or the law ministry has not immediately issued any statement on the latest development.

The development comes a few days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he did not discuss the Adani case with US President Donald Trump during his visit to Washington.

To a question on whether the issue relating to Adani figured in the talks, Modi at a joint media briefing in Washington, said: “India is a democracy and our culture is 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'. We consider the whole world as one family. I believe every Indian is mine.”

Modi said such individual matters are not discussed in talks between two leaders. “Two prominent leaders of two countries never discuss such individual issues,” he said.

The Congress has called for Gautam Adani's arrest and accused Modi of shielding him or favouring him in deals in the past. The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Adani Group have denied all charges.

Reacting to the SEC's court filing, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, who has been vocal against against Adani, took a dig at Modi.

“Now the rubber hits the road- US SEC wants Indian govt to serve complaint to Modiji’s BFF Adani. Will he oblige this very ‘personal mamla’ or no? Nation needs to know!” Mahua Moitra posted on X.

Rahul Gandhi attacks PM Modi over Adani

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Modi of “covering up” the alleged corruption of Gautam Adani.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi had said, the PM maintains silence when questions are asked in the country and terms it a personal matter when asked abroad.

"If you ask questions in the country, there is silence, If you ask abroad, it is a personal matter!

"Even in America, Modi Ji covered up Adani Ji's corruption!" Gandhi charged in his post in Hindi.

Gautam Adani accused of bribing Indian officials

Last year, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn unsealed an indictment accusing Gautam Adani of bribing Indian officials to convince them to buy electricity produced by Adani Green Energy, a subsidiary of his Adani Group.

It was also accused that Adani then misled US investors by providing reassuring information about the company's anti-graft practices.

Adani Group has called the accusations “baseless” and vowed to seek “all possible legal recourse”.

In January, Adani Green said it had appointed independent law firms to review the US indictment.

(With inputs from Reuters, PTI)