New Delhi:

Senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani has ripped into the Congress and the Gandhi family, saying Sonia Gandhi’s former leadership role in the Forum of Democratic Leaders – a think-tank funded partly by the George Soros Foundation – and consequent links to Mr Soros “exposes her to grave criminal charges… in view of (the Forum’s) public advocacy of independence for Kashmir”.

In a long and scathing post on X Mr Jethmalani also threw his weight behind the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which rocked this Parliament session by alleging collusion between Mrs Gandhi and Mr Soros to defame Indian business interests and adversely impact national security.

“Sonia Gandhi’s co-presidency of the Forum of Democratic Leaders (Asia Pacific) not only establishes her links with George Soros, as the Forum is heavily financed by the George Soros Foundation, but also exposes her to grave criminal charges under (anti-terror law) UAPA in view of public advocacy of independence for Kashmir by the Forum,” the ex-Rajya Sabha MP said.

“… the BJP has exposed the unholy Sonia/Soros nexus and the Forum’s sinister objective qua Kashmir… Promotion of secessionism is a grave offence under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act) and the National Investigation Agency must lodge a FIR.” he also said.

#SoniaGandhi‘s co-presidency of the Forum of Democratic Leaders – Asia Pacific (FDL-AP) not only establishes her links with #GeorgeSoros, as the Forum is heavily financed by the George Soros Foundation, but also exposes her to grave criminal charges under the #UAPA in view of the…

— Mahesh Jethmalani (@JethmalaniM) December 11, 2024

Neither Mrs Gandhi nor the Congress have, so far, responded to Mr Jethmalani’s attack, although the party on Monday thundered, “We are patriots… there is no question of an anti-India stance.”

Soros Links “Ridiculous”: Priyanka Gandhi

Mr Jethmalani also slammed Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who on Tuesday counter-attacked by accusing the BJP of using “the most ridiculous thing” to distract focus from the Congress’ demand – a discussion on the United States’ indictment naming Adani Green Energy.

READ | “Ridiculous, BJP Scared”: PGV On Sonia Gandhi-George Soros Links

“It is the most ridiculous thing they could come up with. They are talking about some 1994 thing… No one knows what they are talking about. The only reason they are doing this is because they don’t want to discuss the Adani issue… they are scared… because the truth will be revealed,” she told reporters.

Ms Gandhi Vadra wasn’t the only Congress leader to come out swinging. Karti Chidambaram dismissed the allegations, telling NDTV “dark fantasies” should be confined to the “dark web”. “People have dark, morbid fantasies and they can continue to have them (but) there will be no credence given.”

PGV’s Comments “Vacuous”

“Priyanka Vadra’s dismissal of her mother’s links with Soros, in a concerted promotion of Kashmiri separatism, is a vacuous response that reveals a reckless disregard for India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Mr Jethmalani hit back in his post on Wednesday.

Calling other senior Congress leaders for their “silence” – he singled out party spokesperson Jairam Ramesh – he also said the BJP “cannot let the issue rest with the exposure”.

He also attacked the Gandhi family, and Ms Gandhi Vadra’s husband, Robert Vadra, for having “escaped the clutches of the law for too long in corruption cases”, pointing to earlier scam allegations, including Bofors, Agusta, and the National Herald cases.

Congress vs BJP Over Adani Row

The Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, has made the Adani issue the cornerstone of its gameplan for this Parliament session. Mr Gandhi is a fierce critic of ties between the Adani Group and the BJP, which has firmly refuted any improper link to the Gautam Adani-led corporate giant.

The Adani Group, meanwhile, has maintained that billionaire and group head Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and senior executive Vineet Jain are clear of bribery charges, and that the indictment fails to offer evidence to back its claim. It also refuted all charges as “baseless”.

READ | “Democratic Deep State Weaponising US Courts”: M Jethmalani In Adani Case

On that occasion too Mr Jethmalani had come out swinging, warning the Congress to provide “public evidence of wrongdoing” or risk “behaving like a local agent of a foreign power”.

READ | BJP’s Nadda vs Congress’ Kharge Over Soros-Sonia Gandhi Link Claims

The row over the Adani issue – the BJP insisting the real story is the Sonia Gandhi-Soros link, and the Congress demanding a discussion on the indictment – has thrown Parliament into a tailspin, prompting adjournments and, this week, a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chair Jagdeep Dhankhar.

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(Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.)

New Delhi:

Senior lawyer and former Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Jethmalani said the Congress is “reading too much” into the indictment against the Adani Group in the US for “purely political purposes”. He said the Opposition party must provide credible evidence before demanding a parliamentary probe.

Mr Jethmalani said the US Department of Justice indictment does not have evidence of any act of bribery carried out in India. “All this noise the Congress has made is completely misconceived. What is the evidence which proves that there was any conspiracy to bribe Indian officials to get these solar energy contracts? (there is) nothing in the indictment,” he said.

“Congress party is blindly relying on an indictment against an Indian conglomerate which has undertaken extremely useful businesses in India and abroad. This is not in India’s interest, and to blindly follow a US court indictment which gives no evidence and does not suggest that any of the Adanis or the company which issued the bonds, Adani Green, have done any wrong in India. Congress is reading too much into the indictment for purely political purposes,” Mr Jethmalani said.

The senior lawyer said that he doesn’t know what evidence the judge is the US who issued the indictment acted upon.

Slamming the Congress, he said, “This is a conspiracy to stop India’s growth story. You are repeatedly going after one corporate group, trying to embarrass the Prime Minister… he is an industrialist who has executed many infrastructure projects successfully in India and abroad of which you should be proud.”

“Don’t rush to condemn him blindly following a US indictment. You are behaving like local agents of a foreign power that has an interest in stopping India’s economic growth. Indirectly, you affect retail investors,” he said.

Mr Jethmalani said there is no need for an inquiry by any authority in India or a Joint Parliamentary Committee unless the Congress puts out “credible evidence” in the public domain. “Please put out evidence, you only want to create some kind of noise and disrupt Parliament. This is completely unwarranted.”

Lawyer and BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli told NDTV, “Mr Rahul Gandhi and his family members are facing charges in the National Herald case. The standard line is innocent unless proven guilty. At another level, when India is being celebrated across the globe as a bright spot on the economic side, we need to consider whether comments that come from the political class are broadly trying to shake confidence in India’s story. Over the last two-three days, it’s almost like a celebration. After all, when the economy grows, everyone benefits.”

On the Opposition’s uproar in Parliament, Mr Kohli said, “There is a pattern. Let me pick up the Congress strategy. There was Rafale, then there was Pegasus… disruption of Parliament has become a norm.”

On the Opposition’s uproar in Parliament, Mr Kohli said, “There is a pattern. Let me pick up the Congress strategy. There was Rafale, then there was Pegasus… disruption of Parliament has become a norm. During elections, there would be a political situation where political parties would be entitled to put out their point of view… now we are beyond the election, Parliament has to function… would you like to hold that hostage to their liking or disliking of a particular business group?”