The Adani Group today said it is clear that some groups and individuals have been "working overtime" to harm the conglomerate's "name, goodwill and market standing" as proven by allegations that Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and Hiranandani Group CEO Darshan Hiranandani orchestrated a conspiracy to target Gautam Adani and his group of companies through parliamentary questions.
The Adani Group's statement comes after Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai filed a complaint with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in the form of an affidavit, bringing on record allegations that Ms Moitra received bribes and undue favours from Mr Hiranandani to ask questions in parliament from the businessman, specifically targeting Mr Adani and his group of companies.
Ms Moitra has said she welcomes any kind of inquiry.
The Hiranandani Group also rubbished the allegations, saying they have "no merit". "We have always been in the business of business and not in the business of politics. Our group has always worked with the government in the interest of the nation and will continue doing so," said a spokesperson of the Hiranandani Group.
"In a shocking development, on Sunday, 15 Oct 2023, a Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, filed a complaint with the CBI in the form of a sworn affidavit bringing
on record 'the commission of an elaborate criminal conspiracy' by MP Mahua Moitra and Darshan Hiranandani, CEO of Hiranandani Group, for specifically targeting, inter alia, Gautam Adani and his group of companies through parliamentary questions," an Adani Group spokesperson said in a statement today.
"He (Mr Dehadrai) has further stated that, as a quid pro quo, Ms Moitra received bribes and undue favours from Mr Hiranandani. We also understand that another MP has forwarded the complaint to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha asking that the Ms Moitra be suspended and probed for corruption. The complaint is in wide circulation in the public domain and has also been extensively covered today in the media," the Adani Group said.
Yesterday, the BJP's Nishikant Dubey demanded immediate suspension of Ms Moitra over the allegations that she "took bribes to ask questions" in parliament from Mr Hiranandani to target the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr Dubey in the letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker cited alleged breach of parliamentary privilege, contempt of house and criminal conspiracy by Ms Moitra as grounds for her suspension.
"This development corroborates our statement of 9 October 2023 that some groups and individuals have been working overtime to harm our name, goodwill and market standing. In this particular case, the lawyer's complaint reveals that this arrangement to besmirch the reputation and interests of the Adani Group and our Chairman Gautam Adani has been in place since 2018," the Adani Group spokesperson said in the statement.
"On October 9, we had apprised the public, through a media statement and exchange filings, that 'some foreign entities like the OCCRP, supported by a section of the foreign media, short-sellers and domestic collaborators, have launched a series of attacks against the Adani Group with the primary intent of dragging down its market value. In fact, these individuals and groups, bound by the common objective of damaging the Adani Group, have developed a playbook which is being executed to perfection by a well-oiled and professional machinery working in sync both within India and abroad," the Adani Group said.
"We also pointed out that one tactic in their playbook includes putting out media reports with 'an uncanny ability to appear just before the hearing dates of important cases in India's courts.' True to predicted form, the Financial Times published a story recycling baseless allegations against the Adani Group on 12 October 2023, just a day before the hearing of an Adani-related case in the Supreme Court. We are issuing this statement in the interest of all our stakeholders, including our shareholders," the Adani Group said.
(Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.)
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