PM can't stand up to Trump's repeated threats due to Adani probe in US: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on 6 August, Wednesday, has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot stand up to US president Donald Trump despite his repeated threats due to "the ongoing US investigation into Adani".

The Leader of the Opposition's remarks came after Trump said India has not been a good trading partner and announced that he will raise the tariffs on New Delhi "very substantially" over the next 24 hours because it is buying Russian oil.

In a post on X, Gandhi said, "India, please understand: The reason PM Modi cannot stand up to President Trump despite his repeated threats is the ongoing U.S. investigation into Adani."

"One threat is to expose the financial links between Modi, AA, and Russian oil deals. Modi's hands are tied," Gandhi alleged.

India, please understand:

The reason PM Modi cannot stand up to President Trump despite his repeated threats is the ongoing U.S. investigation into Adani.

One threat is to expose the financial links between Modi, AA, and Russian oil deals.

Modi’s hands are tied.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 6, 2025

There was no immediate reaction from the government or the Adani Group on Gandhi's claims.

Billionaire Gautam Adani, 63, and seven other defendants, including his nephew Sagar, who is director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, have been accused of paying about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years, according to an indictment unsealed in a New York court in November last year.

‘Narender surrendered to Adani, China’: Congress ups ante with fresh jibe at PM

Earlier this week, Trump had said he will substantially raise US tariffs on India, accusing the country of buying massive amounts of Russian oil and selling it for big profits.

Hours later, India had mounted an unusually sharp counterattack on the US and the European Union for their "unjustified and unreasonable" targeting of New Delhi for its procurement of Russian crude oil.

Statement by Official Spokesperson⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/O2hJTOZBby pic.twitter.com/RTQ2beJC0W

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) August 4, 2025

Firmly rejecting the criticism, India pointed out the double standards in targeting it on the issue as both the US and the EU are also continuing their trade relations with Russia.

On 5 August, Tuesday, Trump also said he doesn't know anything about the US imports of Russian uranium, fertilisers and chemicals.

Trump made the comments on Tuesday while responding to a question on India's statement on American imports of these commodities.

#WATCH | Responding to ANI's question on US imports of Russian Uranium, chemical fertilisers while criticising their (Indian) energy imports', US President Donald Trump says, "I don't know anything about it. I have to check..."

(Source: US Network Pool via Reuters) pic.twitter.com/OOejcaGz2t

— ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2025

Trump awaits outcome of envoy’s Moscow talks before deciding on punitive tariffs