New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unable to confront former US President Donald Trump due to an ongoing American investigation into the Adani Group.
Gandhi’s remarks followed Trump’s statement accusing India of being an unfair trading partner and announcing plans to sharply increase tariffs on Indian goods within 24 hours. Trump cited India’s purchase of Russian oil as the reason for the tariff hike.
In a post on X, Gandhi said, “India, please understand: The reason PM Modi cannot stand up to President Trump despite his repeated threats is the ongoing U.S. investigation into Adani.”
He further claimed, “One threat is to expose the financial links between Modi, AA [Adani], and Russian oil deals. Modi’s hands are tied.”
Neither the Indian government nor the Adani Group immediately responded to Gandhi’s allegations.
According to an indictment unsealed in a New York court in November last year, billionaire Gautam Adani and seven others—including his nephew Sagar Adani, a director at Adani Green Energy Ltd—allegedly paid around USD 265 million in bribes to Indian officials between 2020 and 2024. The aim was to secure solar energy contracts expected to generate USD 2 billion in profits over two decades.
Earlier this week, Trump vowed to significantly raise US tariffs on Indian imports, accusing India of buying large volumes of Russian oil and reselling it at a profit.
India responded strongly, criticising the US and European Union for what it called “unjustified and unreasonable” attacks on its Russian oil imports. New Delhi pointed out the hypocrisy, noting that both the US and EU continue their own trade with Russia.
In a related remark on Tuesday, Trump claimed ignorance about US imports of Russian uranium, fertilisers, and chemicals. He was responding to questions regarding India’s criticism of Western double standards.
