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Rahul Gandhi on PM's Adani answer to US press: 'Modi ji, it's not a personal matter'
PM Modi, during his Washington DC visit last week, told the US press that he did not discuss the bribery charges against Adani with Trump.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent remark to US press on the Adani Group row is “not a personal matter but a "matter of the country”. Rahul Gandhi made the remarks while delivering an address at an event in the Lalganj area of Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli during the second day of his visit to his parliamentary constituency.
"Narendra Modi ji, this is not a personal matter. It's a matter of the country," Rahul Gandhi said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Washington DC visit last week, told the US press that he did not discuss the bribery charges that the US government had levelled against business tycoon Gautam Adani during his meeting with US President Donald Trump.
At a press briefing at the White House, PM Modi was asked if he raised the indictment of Adani and his key associates in a New York court over his involvement in an alleged bribery scheme.
"Firstly, India is a democratic country, and our culture and our thought philosophy is, 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'. We consider the whole world as one family. I believe every Indian is mine," he said.
Also Read: US securities regulator seeks India's help in fraud probe against Gautam Adani
He then went on to state that such "individual issues" are not discussed when two world leaders meet.
"Two prominent leaders of two countries never discuss such individual issues," he said.
Newly sworn in US President Donald Trump made no mention of the case during the presser.
What are charges against Gautam Adani
Last year, the Department of Justice under the previous President Joe Biden charged Adani for allegedly being part of a scheme to pay over USD 250 million (about ₹2,100 crore) bribe to Indian officials in exchange of favourable terms for solar power contracts.
This was concealed from the US banks and investors from whom the Adani group raised billions of dollars for the project, the prosecutors had alleged last year citing US FCPA law that allows pursuing foreign corruption allegations if they involve certain links to American investors or markets.
Also Read: US securities regulator seeks India's help in fraud probe against Gautam Adani
Adani group has denied the allegations as baseless.
US Presdient Donald Trump earlier this month signed an executive order directing the Department of Justice to pause enforcing a nearly half-century-old law that was used to launch a bribery investigation against the Adani Group.
