OPINION | WHY WAS OCCRP REPORT AGAINST ADANI TIMED ON EVE OF I.N.D.I.A. MEET?
Adani group issued a statement categorically rejecting the report as “recycled allegations”.
The publication of a report on the Adani group by a collective of foreign journalists called OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) in The Guardian and Financial Times of London has caused ripples in the Indian stock market and political circles. Prices of stocks of almost all Adani group companies fell at Bombay Stock Exchange on Thursday but most of them recovered on Friday. In political circles, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi demanded a joint parliamentary committee probe into the matter. Adani group issued a statement categorically rejecting the report as “recycled allegations”. The group said, “These news reports appear to be yet another concerted bid by Goerge Soros-funded interests supported by a section of foreign media to revive the meritless Hindenburg report….The timing of this report is suspicious, mischievous and malicious”. The OCCRP report alleges that Adani group violated Sebi’s minimum shareholding norm by routing investments in its public traded stocks through “opaque” Mauritius funds. In its report, OCCRP claimed that it has obtained “exclusive documents” to show that “in at least two cases…..investors turn out to have widely reported ties to the group’s majority shareholders, the Adani family”, and helped manipulate companies’ stock prices. In Mumbai, Rahul Gandhi showed the clippings of Guardian and Financial Times to the media and described it as a serious allegation against industrialist having ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He demanded to know whose money was invested from offshore funds in the group’s companies. Let me disclose an interesting point. Rahul Gandhi’s press conference was promoted by OCCRP on its X handle in which it said that the leader of India’s largest opposition party Congress is going to hold a press conference. BJP leaders are now questioning the relationship between Rahul Gandhi and OCCRP, supported by George Soros-funded interests. Secondly, the name of Chang Chung Ling mentioned in the OCCRP report was described by Rahul Gandhi as a Chinese national, but in reality, he is a Taiwanese citizen. It is for Rahul Gandhi to explain whether this error was deliberate or unintentional. This is not the first time that Rahul Gandhi used Adani’s name to target Narendra Modi. Rahul has told Congress leaders that Modi’s image must be tarnished at all costs, come what may. First, he made allegations of corruption against Modi in the Rafale fighter purchase deal. He and his partymen stalled Parliament proceedings demanding a joint parliamentary probe, but Rahul had to later tender a written apology before the Supreme Court. Then came the Hindenburg report early this year, and for the last eight months, Rahul has been going around the country carrying the Hindenburg report. On this issue, he and his partymen again stalled Parliament proceedings demanding a JPC probe. An entire parliament session was washed out as a result. During assembly elections, Rahul made attacks on Modi on this issue and the matter reached the Supreme Court. The apex court formed a committee, which after probing the Adani matter has given a clean chit to the group. I had put probing questions to Gautam Adani in our show ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ on India TV. At that time, Gautam Adani had clearly said that his group has not made a paisa worth illegal transactions and followed all rules and laws. He even said that he was not afraid of a probe, nor is he perturbed over allegations. Adani was proved right. After Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Adani Modi Bhai Bhai’ slogan lost steam, billionaire George Soros-funded OCCRP has now come up with this report. George Soros is known across the world as an “agent of chaos”. Soros is on record of having made strong comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi at several global forums. Rahul Gandhi is now making allegations on the basis of a report by a collective funded by George Soros. I do not find any possibility of Rahul gaining any political edge by making such allegations based on the OCCRP report, nor is Modi’s image going to be dented. But, one should note the timing of this report. The Hindenburg report came just on the even of Parliament session. Is it a sheer coincidence that the OCCRP report was published on the eve of the I.N.D.I.A. conclave of 28 opposition parties in Mumbai attended by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul, Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav?
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