Have Gautam Adani and others committed an infraction under India&rsquo;s Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, or are they victims of geopolitics?
The Adani group and its promoters are again in the spotlight, as New York&rsquo;s Eastern District Court has charged Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and others with bribery. They have been accused of using US investors&rsquo; money to bribe Indian officials to secure a multibillion-dollar solar energy project.
The action has polarised Indians, with some believing that Adani is being targeted by Western multinational corporations and industrialists who are concerned about Adani&rsquo;s global expansion.
Online chatter
A few people on social media platforms have been providing critical information and logic in Adani&rsquo;s support. For example, @thepolllady said, &ldquo;This is a well-orchestrated attack against an Indian conglomerate in order to destabilise India." Here is the link to the X handle conveying the argument&mdash;https://x.com/ThePollLady/status/1859576864152375736.
According to this X handle, Hungarian-American investor George Soros, Senator Chuck Schumer, and one or two Democrats are behind this with an interest in India.
Another argument being advanced in the narrative is that the motives for coming after Adani are geopolitical. This comes from @Sputnik_India, who uses the term &lsquo;deep state&rsquo;, which has lately been used several times by US President-Elect @RealDonaldTrump in his attacks on Democrats. @Sputnik_India&rsquo;s thread: https://x.com/Sputnik_India/status/1859608618032562208
According to @Sputnik_India, Gautam Adani is being targeted since he publicly congratulated @RealDonaldTrump on his victory via his X handle @Gautam_Adani, and he shared Adani&rsquo;s post to illustrate his rationale. This X handle even suspects a conspiracy to destabilize the State Bank of India and the Life Insurance Corporation of India. According to Sputnik, America is increasing pressure on India to comply.
One additional X handle is faster than the previous ones in exposing the &lsquo;game&rsquo; behind the Adani attack. @TheChronology_ _ has proposed a theory and provided facts indicating that Eastern District Court attorney Breon Peace was chosen on the suggestion of Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer. This court has charged Gautam Adani with bribery. Chuck Schumer is a good buddy of George Soros and his son Alex. George Soros is a Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. @TheChronology_ _'s thread: https://x.com/TheChronology__/status/1859498690953511007.
On Thursday evening, @TheChronology__ published a photo of Alex Soros with Kenyan President William Ruto, shortly after Ruto announced the cancellation of JKIA and energy transmission projects in which the Adani group had plans to invest millions of dollars.
American angle
Soros&rsquo; name does not appear for the first time in the Adani Saga. When Hindenburg Research&mdash;an investigative research and reporting organisation&mdash;first disclosed Adani Group&rsquo;s funding and other suspicious investments, Soros&rsquo; name appeared.
According to media reports, George Soros&rsquo; Open Society Foundations is among the sponsors of Hindenburg Research (renamed The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)). Many countries and parties have claimed that Soros played a crucial role in the plotting of the overthrow of governments in several countries.
Different perspectives
After the allegations against Gautam Adani were filed, India&rsquo;s lower house, the Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, requested action against the industrialist, calling for his arrest, at a press conference. Amit Malaviya, the head of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party&rsquo;s (BJP) IT cell, wrote in a post, &ldquo;Isn&rsquo;t it a coincidence that Rahul Gandhi and George Soros (February 16, 2023) are speaking the same language?&rdquo; He even released an old video in which Soros alleged that Modi and Adani were close allies.
The big question
Are these merely theories to justify the actions of the Indian conglomerate Adani Group? In under two decades, the industrialist&rsquo;s empire has expanded by leaps and bounds. In the last 15 years, the group has expanded into several countries. All those who have known Gautam Adani since his trading days in old city areas of Ahmedabad will reject the argument that he has become a target due to the rapid rise of his business empire.
Another question that comes to mind is: who wants to destabilise the Indian government and why? If there is any truth to it, what are our intelligence agencies doing, or is the current administration deliberately ignoring the problem? If not that, are they waiting for the change of guard in America to settle the score?
One thing is certain: for geopolitical reasons, America will not attack or target an Indian industrialist; there are diplomatic and other means to persuade India to join its side.
The main narrative doing the rounds is promoting the idea that &lsquo;India is Adani&rsquo; and &lsquo;Adani is India&rsquo;, which means that an attack on Adani is the same as an attack on India. This is another low level of nationalism and serves the shallow self-interests of a selected few rather than India, as a fast-developing nation.

Hindenburg research, Gautam Adani, George Soros and Eastern District Court, Brooklyn

Some believe industrialist Gautam Adani is being targeted by Western counterparts due to his rapid global expansion

The Adani Saga and Geopolitics

Some believe industrialist Gautam Adani is being targeted by Western counterparts due to his rapid global expansion

November 22, 2024 | 15:10 IST