Congress President Rahul Gandhi. File Image | Photo credit: PTI
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday (May 15, 2026) accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of signing a trade deal with the US only to secure the “release” of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani.
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“The compromised prime minister did not make a trade deal, but a deal to release Adani,” Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X, following news that the US had agreed to settle a lawsuit accusing Adani of hiding alleged bribery.
The US government has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed against Adani, who is accused of defrauding investors by concealing that his company’s massive solar power project in India was facilitated by alleged bribery, according to court filings released on Thursday (14 May).
Reacting to the reports, Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said it was now clear why the prime minister had agreed to a “hopelessly one-sided Indo-US trade deal that was actually a theft by the US”.
It is now clear why the Prime Minister agreed to a hopelessly one-sided India-US trade “deal” that was actually a theft by the US. And it’s also clear why he abruptly halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025, acting on President Trump’s threats rather than our national interests.…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 14, 2026
“And it’s also clear why he abruptly shut down Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025, acting on President Trump’s threats rather than our national interest. The Trump administration is reportedly going to drop all corruption charges against Modani,” he said on X.
“How much more can the prime minister compromise?” asked Ramesh.
In a lawsuit filed in late 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, who is a director of Adani Green Energy Ltd.’s renewable energy unit, of agreeing to pay approximately $265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to reap expected profits of over $20 billion for profitable solar power supply contracts on expected lucrative terms of USD 20 billion. flight.
The lawsuit alleged that Adani Group obtained $2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, based on false and misleading statements about the firm’s anti-corruption practices and policies.
The port-to-energy conglomerate has denied the allegations.
Published – 15 May 2026 10:56 IST
