'Compromised PM Struck Adani Release Bargain': Opposition on Reports that US May Drop Fraud, Bribery Charges
New Delhi: Opposition parties on Friday (May 15) questioned whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi had entered into a bargain with the US amid reports that the Department of Justice is preparing to drop fraud and bribery charges against billionaire Gautam Adani.
In a post on X, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said, “The compromised PM has not struck a trade deal, but a bargain for Adani's release."
His statement came after The New York Times reported Thursday that Adani’s legal team, led by US lawyer Robert Giuffra Jr., who also represents US President Donald Trump, indicated that the billionaire would be willing to invest USD 10 billion in the US and create around 15,000 jobs if, in the newspaper’s words, the “prosecutors dropped the charges”.
Separately, Bloomberg reported, also citing sources, that US authorities could formally announce the dismissal of the criminal charges as early as this week. It also said the Securities and Exchange Commission is moving towards resolving a parallel civil fraud case brought against Adani and several associates in November 2024. Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani have already consented to a proposed USD 18 million penalty to settle the case.
The billionaire's legal battle in the United States began less than two years ago, after prosecutors accused the Adani Group of orchestrating an “elaborate bribery scheme” tied to solar power contracts in India, a charge it has denied.
The interim trade deal agreed upon by India and the US in February reduced US tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%, but faced criticism for sacrificing the interests of farmers and small enterprises that employ the bulk of working people in the country.
In a statement, the Congress said that Modi had made "a one-sided deal with America so that Adani could get relief."
"It is now clear that Modi made a one-sided deal with America so that Adani could get relief. This is the very reason why Modi cannot speak openly in front of America. Whatever Trump says, Modi does exactly that. Modi is completely compromised," the party posted on X.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also questioned whether this was the reason that the Indian government had agreed to not purchase Russian oil after the US and Israel started its war on Iran that has led to the conflict in West Asia and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
रूस से तेल ना ख़रीदने का क्या ये कारण है? https://t.co/05gkdXv8tb
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 15, 2026
Other opposition parties also questioned whether the Adani case was the reason the government was not providing full details of the deal struck with the US.
"I have heard this, and whether you call it quid pro quo or something else, it now seems clear why we were demanding clarity on the trade deal. We said it was unfair, lacked balance, and ignored India's interests. Looking at the other side as well, the picture is now quite clear to me about what the reality behind the scenes was," said RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn had earlier alleged that Adani and other defendants orchestrated an “elaborate” USD 250 million bribery scheme linked to solar power contracts in India. In the parallel civil case, the SEC alleged that Adani and others paid or promised bribes to Indian officials linked to the same project, a large solar power venture being developed by Adani Green.
The Adani Group has denied the allegations. Gautam and Sagar Adani have moved a federal court in Brooklyn asking the SEC case to be dismissed.
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