YSRCP Government in the Adani Case:
Business tycoon Gautam Adani is facing corruption charges in the United States, with allegations that his group paid bribes in the solar power purchase agreement in India. The accusations focus on a deal with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), in which the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government’s name has surfaced prominently.
Adani Group is accused of paying bribes of around ₹2,029 crores to government officials in various states. The states mentioned include Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. The charges state that during the 2019-24 period, ₹1,750 crores were allegedly paid to the Andhra Pradesh government, while ₹279 crores were given to officials in the other states. Allegations claim that in 2021, Adani personally met then Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and that a deal was struck following their meeting.
The SECI deal scandal, in which the name of the Jagan government is prominently mentioned, involves bribes of $228 million (approximately ₹1,750 crores) paid by officials during the tenure of the Andhra Pradesh government from 2019 to 2024. According to accusations in the Brooklyn court, discussions were held in 2021 between Adani and Jagan regarding a power supply agreement. The charges suggest that “necessary proposals” were presented at that time, leading to a deal for the purchase of 7,000 MW of electricity.
Congress has demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani Group, accusing the business tycoon and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having a close relationship. In response, the BJP has dismissed these allegations, stating that according to U.S. prosecutors, Indian companies had signed agreements with SECI to supply 12 gigawatts of electricity. SECI entered into public-private partnerships with state electricity distribution companies, but since the project had associated costs, the state companies were not interested. As a result, Adani’s group reportedly paid $265 million to four states (Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh) between July 2021 and February 2022, when non-BJP governments were in power in these states. BJP’s IT Department head Amit Malviya called for Congress and its allies to answer before making these allegations.
Meanwhile, the FBI in the U.S. has also accused Gautam Adani and six others of offering bribes to officials to secure a massive solar energy project in India.
