Against India's growth story: Congress faces backlash over allegations against Adani Group

New Delhi: The Congress party came under sharp criticism from many quarters on Wednesday over its repeated accusations against the Adani Group, over indictment of India's leading conglomerated in the United States.

This backlash followed clarification by the Adani Group, in which it denied all the bribery allegations made by the US authorities against its founder Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and Adani Green Energy CEO Vneet Jaain.

Many BJP leaders hit back at the Congress party, accusing it of working against India's growth story and also "spreading fake news" about Indian industrialists with a motive to "mislead the public."

Speaking to IANS, BJP spokesperson Gourav Vallabh targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of being a "brand ambassador of anti-India forces."

"Rahul Gandhi does not oppose Adani or Ambani; he opposes India's development. He has become a spokesperson for anti-India entities, including those led by George Soros, who dictate his agenda. They aim to disrupt India's capital markets and FDI flow," Vallabh stated.

"Rahul Gandhi is playing into the hands of foreign powers who want to harm India's growth story. Millions of middle-class Indians rely on investments in the capital market for their future dreams, and Rahul Gandhi wants to shatter these aspirations," he further added.

Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) spokesperson Manisha Kayande also criticised the Congress, alleging that it targets Indian industrialists to undermine the BJP-led government.

"Rahul Gandhi and his associates focus on Adani and Ambani only to target the industrialists and bring bad name to the country. During the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, they gave contracts to these industrialists, and now they question us," she said.

Kayande cited past incidents under the MVA government, such as the placement of explosives near the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, as evidence of "mishandling." She claimed such actions had driven industries away from Maharashtra to Gujarat.

Rajasthan Minister Jogaram Patel also accused opposition parties of aligning with foreign powers to weaken India.

"Our nation is on the path to becoming the third-largest economy, but Congress and its allies are trying to derail this progress. They target Indian businessmen to serve their agenda of weakening India," Patel told IANS.

"Time and again, they travel abroad and speak the language of our enemies, siding with foreign adversaries. They target businessmen like Adani and other industrialists, but their sole aim is to weaken India and bring down PM Modi," he added.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari echoed similar sentiments, calling Congress "anti-progress and anti-India."

In a video message on X, he accused the party of collaborating with international entities like George Soros to propagate false narratives.

"The Congress party is against the Indian growth story. The Congress party against the Indian wealth creators. The Congress party knows that if India becomes the third largest economy, the party and its evil forces across the borders will have an issue," he said.

"This is why Soros and the Congress party always try to plant fake news and fake agenda against Indian wealth creators. The latest Adani episode, in which it is now clear that the bribery charges were not against the Adani group, is yet another example of whether it is Hindenburg, whether it is Rafael, and now the Adani. The Congress party's intentions are evil," he said.

Bhandari said that Congress only aims to "spread fake news, hurt the Indian growth story. This is why we say Congress is anti-progress, anti-people, anti-India."