TDP delays response on Adani Bribery claims; seeks detailed review

Amaravati: Telugu Desam Party, a key ally of NDA, will react only after going through the issue of Adani Group allegedly paying bribes for solar power contracts in Andhra Pradesh, said party spokesperson Kommareddy Pattabhiram on Thursday.

“We need to study the report before coming to a conclusion. It would take two to three days,” he told PTI when asked about the party’s reaction.

Gautam Adani, India’s second-richest man, and seven others, including his nephew Sagar Adani, have been charged by the US Department of Justice with paying bribes to unidentified officials of state governments in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to buy expensive solar power, potentially earning more than USD 2 billion in profit over 20 years.

Adani Group, however, denied the charges saying the allegations by US prosecutors are “baseless” and the conglomerate is “compliant with all laws.”

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Congress leader Kolanukonda Sivaji alleged that Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are the same, and called for a suo motu probe by the Supreme Court.

“Over the past decade, the NDA government has been unethically and unilaterally surrendering public assets to billionaire Adani and we oppose it,” he told PTI.

Further, he called for action against Andhra Pradesh officials involved in this alleged scam.