Congress asks PM Modi ‘Hum Adani ke Hain Kaun’ over fraud allegations by Hindenburg Research

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the allegations of fraud made by short-seller Hindenburg Research against the Adani Group and announced that it would pose three queries every day to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of its new series HAHK - Hum Adani ke Hain Kaun (Who are we to Adani).

Taking to the micro-blogging site Twitter, Jairam said, ''The eloquent silence of the PM on the Adani MahaMegaScam has forced us to start a series, HAHK-Hum Adanike Hain Kaun. We will be posing 3 questions to the PM daily beginning today. Here are the first three.

Chuppi Todiye Pradhan Mantriji''.

In the tweet, the Congress leader shared a note, wherein, he also put out the first set of three questions.

Initially, Ramesh slammed Gautam Adani's brother Vinod Adani over his name emerging in the Panama Papers and the Pandora Papers for operating ''offshore entities''

“He is alleged to have engaged in ‘brazen stock manipulation’ and ‘accounting fraud’ via ‘a vast labyrinth of offshore shell entities. You have spoken often about your sincerity and ‘niyat’ (intention) in fighting corruption and even subjected the nation to the heavy costs of demonetization,” read the statement, asking: “What does the fact that a business entity you are well acquainted with faces serious allegations tell us about the quality and sincerity of your investigations?”

In the second question, Ramesh accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Enforcement Directorate, and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence to ''intimidate political opponents and punish business houses that do not fall in line with your cronies financial interests''.

''What action has been taken, if ever, to investigate the serious allegations made over the years against the Adani Group? Is there any hope of a fair and impartial investigation under you,'' Ramesh asked.

In the third question, Ramesh asked, ''How is it possible that one of India's largest business groups, one that has been allowed to build monopolies in airports and seaports, could have escaped serious scrutiny for so long?”

“Was the Adani Group essential to a dispensation that has profited from ‘anti-corruption’ rhetoric all of these years?” the Congress leader asked.

On January 24, Hindenburg Research, a US-based research company, had released a report that alleged the Adani Group, headed by Gautam Adani, had indulged in brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades.

Following the report, the group witnessed a major stock market meltdown.

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