The Congress on Monday posed fresh questions about Vinod Adani’s alleged network of shell companies engaged in “opaque” financial transactions, and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi got his “drumbeaters” to get Parliament adjourned so that the demand for JPC into the Adani issue is not raised.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Adani Group has repeatedly brushed aside questions about Vinod Adani, elder brother of conglomerate’s chairperson Gautam Adani, claiming that he is uninvolved with group management and decision-making, but fresh disclosures show this to be a “laughable deception”.
The Opposition has been persistent in its attack on the government; weeks after Adani Group stocks took a beating on the bourses in the wake of US-based short seller Hindenburg Research making a litany of allegations, including fraudulent transactions and share-price manipulation, on the conglomerate. The Adani Group has dismissed the charges as lies, saying it complies with all laws and disclosure requirements.
“The PM got his drumbeaters to get Parliament adjourned today so that the demand for JPC into the Adani Maha Mega Scam does not get raised,” Ramesh said in a tweet.
Posing a set of three questions to PM Modi as part of the party’s “Hum Adani ke Hain Kaun” series, the Congress general secretary said the posers were about the central role played by Vinod Adani and his “network of shell companies engaged in opaque financial transactions.”
“In the February 19 Hum Adani Ke Hain Kaun, we had pointed to the Adani Group announcement on September 16, 2022, that ‘the Adani Family, through Endeavour Trade and Investment Ltd, a special purpose vehicle, has successfully completed the acquisition of Ambuja Cements Ltd and ACC Ltd’ and a SEBI filing that stated ‘the ultimate beneficial ownership of the Acquirer is held by Mr. Vinod Shantilal Adani and Mrs. Ranjanben Vinod Adani’,” Ramesh said in his statement which is part of the party’s sub-series of allegations against the conglomerate titled ‘Dikh Raha Hai Vinod’. “If Vinod Adani is at such arms length from the Adani Group, how have Adani Enterprises executives become senior managers at Ambuja Cements and ACC,” Ramesh asked.