DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2024, AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES `5.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 ENERGYFIRMAZUREACCUSEDOFCOLLUSION;YSRCP denies wrongdoing, says regulator approved deal FORPOWERCONTRACTS,PAIDBRIBES,LIEDTO investors&bankstoraisebillionsof dollars:Indictment US Govt indicts Gautam Adani, alleges Rs 2,000-cr bribes to ‘Indian officials’ Baseless, denied: Group; indictment alleges Adani met then Andhra CM before power deal BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY LetterofAwardon Dec10,2019 ADANI GREENS (8 GW) SECI (GOI) LetterofAwardon Dec10,2019 AZURE POWER (4 GW) SIGNS POWER SUPPLY AGREEMENT (PSA) ON Dec1,2021 NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 21 contracts” with state electricity distribution companies. In a parallel move, the US CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 July22,2021 Aug12,2021 Sep16,2021 Feb10,2022 Andhra Discom (2,000 MW) AGGAM WALIA & AANCHAL MAGAZINE US PROSECUTORS in New York indicted Adani Group Chairman Gautam S Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani and six others on Wednesday for allegedly offering Rs 2,029 crore (US $265 million) in bribes to Indian government officials for securing “lucrative solar energy supply THE ‘BRIBERY SCHEME’, ACCORDING TO THE INDICTMENT Odisha Discom (500 MW) Chhattisgarh Discom (300 MW) Tamil Nadu Discom (1,000 MW) J&K Discom (100 MW) DEC 10, 2019: Adani Green & Azure get SECI contracts to supply 8 GW & 4 GW, respectively DEC 25, 2020: Adani Green & Azure agree to price reductions in contract JULY 22, 2021: SECI signs PSA with Odisha discom for 500 MW, allegedly after a bribe of “hundreds of thousands of dollars” AUG 2021: Gautam Adani meets Jagan on Andhra not inking a PSA with SECI SEPT 12, 2021: Sagar Adani meets Jagan DEC 1, 2021: Andhra enters into PSA with SECI for 7,000 MW, allegedly after a bribe of `1,750 crore Between July 22 and December 1, 2021, SECI entered into PSAs with Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu, in addition to Andhra Pradesh and Odisha Adani shares plunge by up to 23%, Group scraps Rahul says arrest Adani, PM protecting issue of $600-mn bond him; Cong damaging economy: BJP ENS ECONOMIC BUREAU MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 21 SHARESOFAdaniGroupcompanies plummeted by up to 23 per cent Thursday and the group scrapped its $600-million bond issue after US prosecutors indicted Adani Group Chairman Gautam S Adani and seven othersforallegedlyofferingRs2,029 crore in bribes to Indian government officials for securing “lucrative solar energy supply contracts” with state electricity distribution companies. ‘Waving black flag not illegal’: Kerala HC junks case of protest against CM SHAJU PHILIP THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, NOVEMBER 21 OBSERVING THAT showing a blackflagtoapersonisnotanillegal act and does not amount to defamation,theKeralaHighCourt has quashed a case registered against three persons in connectionwithwavingablackflagatthe convoy of CM Pinarayi Vijayan. IntheverdictonWednesday, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas also said protests were essential for effective democracy. In the incident that took place in 2017, the three young men from Paravur in Ernakulam district were accused of waving a black flag at the convoy of Vijayan with an intention to defame him, and when police tried to restrain them from proceeding towards the convoy, they allegedly used criminal force by pushing police personnel. Police had submitted a chargesheet against them at a magistrate court in Paravur in 2020. They were booked under CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PAGE 1 ANCHOR THE EDITORIAL PAGE THE CLOUD DARKENS Indictment of Gautam Adani and others by US prosecutors calls for a transparent probe. Seeing a foreign hand isn’t the answer PAGE8 RELATED REPORTS PAGES 12, 14 Adani Group companies lost a total of Rs 2.22 lakh crore in CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE WORLD EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 21 THE INDICTMENT of Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani by prosecutors in the US for allegedlyofferingRs2,029crorein bribes to Indian government officials triggered a political firestorm Thursday with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi demanding Adani’s immediate arrest and alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “protecting” him. The ruling BJP, in turn, ac- Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, Thursday. Anil Sharma cused the Congress of “attacking the Indian market and trying to make it tank to damage the Indian economy”. It said the “matter pertains to the time between July 2021 and February 2022” when “Chhattisgarh, AndhraPradesh,TamilNaduand Odishaallhadnon-NDAgovernments… they had governments of the Congress or their allies”. The Left parties said the CBI mustbedirectedtoimmediately file a case based on the material provided by the prosecution in the US. “Prime Minister Modi CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BHOPAL, NOVEMBER 21 PAGE 13 Former Andhra CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy SREENIVAS JANYALA & NIKHILA HENRY HYDERABAD, NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 21 INDUSTRIALISTGAUTAMAdani’s indictmentintheUS,whichstates thatmorethan85%ofthealleged bribe was given to a top-ranking official in Andhra Pradesh, has drawnamutedresponsefrompoliticalpartiesinpowerinthestate, particularly the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP). According to the indictment, Adani “personally met with Foreign Official 1 in Andhra Pradesh to advance the executionof PSA(powersupplyagreements) between SECI (Solar EnergyCorporationof India)and AP’s state electricity distribution companies, including on or aboutAugust7,2021,onorabout September 12, 2021 and on or about November 20, 2021”. The “Foreign Official 1”, according to the indictment, “had servedasahigh-rankinggovernment official of Andhra Pradesh from May 2019 to June 2024”. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 For MP power couple separated by parties, closing personal divide is a bridge too far ANAND MOHAN J ICC ISSUES ARREST WARRANTS AGAINST NETANYAHU, HIS FORMER MINISTER 50 KILLED AS GUNMEN ATTACK PASSENGER VEHICLES IN PAK Focus on Jagan, but NDA ally TDP treads with caution IDEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES are knowntohavesplitparties,communities, and even families. In Madhya Pradesh’s tribal-dominated Balaghat district, a politicaldividehasdrivenawedgebetween a power couple, one of whosepoliticalstarsseemstobe onthewaneandtheotherwhose political influence is rising. The Munjaresof Balaghatarenowinvolved in a public spat triggered Former MP Kankar Munjare, now with BSP, and MLA wife Anubha Munjare, who is with the Congress by their decade-old photo with former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh. A three-time former MLA and a former MP, 72-year-old KankarMunjare’speersdescribe him as a “headstrong leader” who likes to stick to his opinions and not exactly a team player, a sortof alonewolf.Hethricewon the Assembly polls from Paraswada — in 1985 for the Janata Party ticket, in 1993 for the Karantikari Samajwadi Manch, and for the Janata Party CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘Never seen such recession’: How global slump has led to an extended Diwali break for Surat diamond industry KAMAAL SAIYED SURAT, NOVEMBER 21 FOR THE second consecutive year, the Diwali vacation in the diamond factories has exceeded 21 days. With the industry facing an unprecedented recession, diamond traders have had to resort to all sorts of measures to cut their losses. One such step is to The Surat diamond industry employs 6 lakh people. File extend the Diwali holidays of diamond workers. Usually the diamondfactoriescloseforaround three weeks during Diwali, but last year, after the UkraineRussiawar,theindustryworkers got a 36-day vacation, the longest till then. “The global conditions have affected the diamond cutting and polishing industry of Surat. Going by convention, when Diwali vacation used to be of 21 days, the factories should have become functional on November 15. But keeping in mind the present conditions, we will fully start operating only from the first week of December,” said Surat Diamond Association (SDA) president Jagdish Khunt. This year, the sales of rough diamonds by De Beers, the leading global diamond company, has depleted from 5.6 million carats in 2020 to 2.1 million carats in 2024. The numbers have had a direct impact on Surat with eight out of every 10 diamonds in the world polished in the Gujarat city in around 5,000 small, medium andbigdiamondfactories. The Surat diamond industry employs 6 lakh people. Over the last couple of years, with the industry taking a CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Army launches probe into charges of ‘ill-treatment’ of civilians in Kishtwar 4 from a village allegedly tortured in custody after being called to camp ARUN SHARMA JAMMU, NOVEMBER 21 THE ARMY on Thursday launched a probe into allegations of “ill-treatment” of civilians during searches for a group of militants by troops in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district. “Based on specific intelligence of the move of a group of terrorists in the Kishtwar Sector, an operation was launched by Rashtriya Rifles on November 20,” the White Knight Corps, the official social media account of 16Corps,IndianArmy,postedon X. “There are some reports on the alleged ill-treatment of civilians during the conduct of the operation.Aninvestigationisbeing launched to ascertain the facts.Necessaryfollow-upaction will be ensured.” “Further move of the group of terrorists is being monitored,” it added, tagging the Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information and the Northern Command. Kishtwar Senior Superintendent of Police Javed Iqbal, when contacted, said the police are verifying the allegations. According to sources, the Army will probe allegations that four men from Kuath village were tortured in custody. According to sources, the men received a phone call on Wednesday morning, asking them to report to an Army camp in Kishtwar. The call was made against the backdrop of the killing of a Junior Commissioned Officer of the Army and injuries to three soldiers in the Chask area on November 10. Days earlier, on November7,twovillagedefence guardswereabductedandkilled by militants in the Keshwan forests of Kishtwar. The allegations of torture emerged just two days after Northern Army Commander Lt Genera M V Suchindra Kumar visited Kishtwar and reviewed the security situation there. In December last year, three civilians were killed, allegedly in custody, after troops picked them up for questioning in connection with a terror attack on Army vehicles in Poonch. Whilepolicehadregisteredan FIR into the matter, Defence MinisterRajnathSinghvisitedthe familiesofthevictimsandassured justice. Later, an enquiry conducted by the troops referred to lapsesintheconductofsomepersonnel. The Army unit allegedly connected with the killings was moved out of the district. Northeast MPs weigh in on Manipur crisis: ‘President’s rule needed, why is Centre mum?’ DEEPTIMAN TIWARY & VIKAS PATHAK NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 21 AS MANIPUR continues to deal with the fallout of a fresh round of violence, MPs from several northeastern states, particularly those bordering the violence-hit state, have urged the Centre to find a quick solution to the problem even if it involves taking some tough political decisions. While some MPs that The Indian Express spoke to held the N Biren Singh-led state government responsible for the failure to maintain peace in Manipur, othersfelttheissuewascomplex and required deft handling by the Centre. A few also advocated the imposition of President’s Rule in the strife-torn state. “My solution (to the problem) is the imposition of President’s Rule, which will enable the Centre to settle everything by being involved directly. The number of armed Meiti and Zopeopleinvolvedintheconflict isgreaterthanthestrengthof the Manipur police. The CM may want to stop the violence but does not have the resources as his policemen are either supportingthemilitantsorareafraid of them. The Indian Army can stoptheviolenceinaweek,”said K Vanlalvena, Rajya Sabha MP from Mizoram and Mizo National Front (MNF) leader. However,Vanlalvenawasnot enthused by the Centre’s deci- Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh sion to reimpose the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in some areas of the state. “AFSPAwillnothealthepainand will harm both the Meiteis and Zos. It has not solved anything in Manipur,” he said. In favour of a political solution to the crisis, the Rajya Sabha MP urged the Centre to constitute an official team to ascertain the areas inhabited by the Meiteis and the Zo people and create new administrations for them. A separate administration has been a longstanding demand of the Kuki-Zo people, who largely inhabit the hills of the state. Since the onset of violence in May 2023, the demand has acquired greater momentum though it is not acceptable to the Meiteis. The strife has also altered the mixed-population nature of several areas in the state In the last couple of weeks alone, around 20 people have been killed while more than 60,000 have been displaced since the start of the conflict in May 2023. Zoram People’s Movement leader and Lok Sabha MP from Mizoram, Richard CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Down Under warms up: Punjabi & Hindi headlines, flashbulbs, chats EXPRESSINAUSTRALIA SRIRAM VEERA PERTH, NOVEMBER 21 “HOW IS your kid doing,” India’s stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah asks his Aussie counterpart Pat Cummins.Theyareafewfeetand acoupleofminutesawayfromthe unveiling of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that they will be fighting for over five Test matches from Friday at Perth. Cummins is all smiles, and asks the same question to Bumrah, who launches intoalongexcitedreplyabouthis one-year-old son Angad. Light bulbs are flashing around them as photographers and broadcasters are busy capturingvisualsfortheirpre-series packages. Oblivious, Cummins says, “that moment when the kid first walks”, and both — the ODI World Cup winning captain and world’s best fast bowler — go “awww”. The media representative yanks them to the here and now and reminds them about why they are. Photos are taken with the trophy, and once again the twoshuffle tothesidetoresume some more paternal chat. It is hard to believe the two teams with the fiercest rivalry in world cricket are about to start their freshest battle in a day’s time. But then it’s also scarcely believable that the Australian cricketing establishment, the media, and even the government has been almost going “awww” about this IndiaAustralia Test series. Usually,theAustralianmedia acts as their team’s 12th man. They are known to give a snarly treatment to the visitors. Once Australia captain Pat Cummins and his Indian counterpart Jasprit Bumrah at Perth’s Optus Stadium, Thursday. Express England’s Kevin Pietersen was famously welcomed by a huge headline across the local newspapers that read “The Ego has landed”. In contrast, the Indian team has almost been feverishly giddily welcomed. Newscorp,anAustraliannews agencywithavastimprintacross newspapers, took out full-page cricketfeatures,splashingimages of the likes of Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal with headlines that ran in Punjabi and Hindi. Almostadvertorialinthecontent, newspapers have run glowing pieces about Indian players. Diverse Australia is making an effort to be inclusive. It hasn’t escaped the local population with roots in the subcontinent. Jafri, a cabbie of Pakistan origin, says, “Yeh toh hona hi tha (This was bound to happen). India has all the money in cricket bhai. Finally, our side of the world is being recognised and respected. Hopefully soon, they will call my name also properly: Arabic ka Jafri, not English Geoffrey!” Money does matter, of course. Australian cricket, which was struggling during the pandemic and had to even show the doors to the then CEO Kevin Edwards, is expecting a jackpot from this India series. Back then, in 2020, it was re- ported that Cricket Australia (CA), the body that runs cricket, had to take a loan of A$300 million from Commonwealth Bank. TheIndianseriesin2021,though shrouded in the pandemic, helpedtheAustralianboard.And in October this year, they announced a deficit of A$31.9 million ($21.34m). CA insiders say that television rights money from this India series would bankrolltheircricketforthenext couple of years. The bonhomie ahead of the series was started during Australian Prime Minister AnthonyAlbanese’svisittoIndia CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ahmedabad