Indian opposition parties deny any wrongdoing linked to Adani bribery allegations

By Krishna N. Das and Jatindra Dash

Opposition politicians from Indian states named in the U.S. indictment of billionaire Gautam Adani denied any wrongdoing on Friday, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party said they had to answer for contracts signed while they were in power.

U.S. authorities have charged Adani and seven others with agreeing to pay bribes to unnamed Indian government officials to obtain solar power-supply contracts in Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, as well as the federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir, between 2021 and 2022.

The Adani Group has denied the allegations made by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission as "baseless" and said it was "fully compliant with all laws".

All the states named by U.S. authorities were at the time ruled by parties opposed to Modi's ruling alliance.

This includes the Congress party, which has called for Adani's arrest and accused Modi of shielding him or favouring him in deals. Modi's party and Adani have denied the charges.

The then-ruling parties of Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh said in separate statements that their governments had not signed any power purchase deal with the Adani Group, but had bought through a federal government agency, Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).

"There was no engagement with any private party whatsoever, including Adani Group," said Pratap Keshari Deb of the regional Biju Janata Dal party, who was energy minister of Odisha during the time U.S. authorities specified.

SECI, which selects renewable energy producers for projects through bids and then signs deals with power buyers, said it had "no basis so far" to investigate the allegations and that it was "not clear if any of SECI's covenants have been violated".

The former Congress chief minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, said his government had given no contract to the Adani Group and demanded an investigation.

Indian authorities, who have not made any public statement about the U.S. allegations, have not responded to questions from Reuters about any investigation.

Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, which is now in power in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, said any investigation would only expose politicians from other parties and that they should clarify their positions. A regional opposition party now ruling Jammu and Kashmir said it would investigate the charges.

The Adani Group's businesses range from power and ports to coal and castor oil derivatives, with projects across India.