Congress points to Adani Group's alleged 'China links', asks why permitted to operate ports in India

Stepping up its attack on Adani Group despite cracks in Opposition over targeting it, Congress on Sunday asked why the conglomerate is being allowed to operate ports in the country when it has links with a Chinese firm.

It cited a media report to say the government denied security clearance in 2022 to a consortium of APM Terminals Management and Taiwan's Wan Hai Lines after agencies discovered a connection between a Wan Hai director and a Chinese firm.

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said in a statement that the discovery of the agencies blocked consortium's bid to operate a container handling terminal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority.

Also Read | Adani Group brand custodian Aman Kumar Singh resigns from NDTV board

"This raises fresh questions about the Adani Group's China links. As we have repeatedly pointed out in our Hum Adani ke Hain Kaun (HAHK) series of questions to PM Narendra Modi, Chinese citizen Chang Chung-Ling is closely associated with the Adani Group," Ramesh alleged.

Chang Chung-Ling's son owns PMC Projects, a firm that has constructed ports, terminals, rail lines, power lines and other infrastructure assets for the Adani Group. The Adani Group and PMC were alleged to be involved in a Rs 5,500 crore power equipment over-invoicing scam by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, he claimed.

Citing that the government policy is to prevent Chinese firms and entities with Chinese connections from operating ports and terminals in India, he said, “given these close China links, why is the Adani Group being permitted to operate ports in India? Why is it being permitted to buy up port after port, in some cases after raids on previous owners, with no thought to the serious security implications?”

He also alleged that the Adani Group has been known to have operated at least two Shanghai-based shipping companies, one of which was involved in the illegal sale of petroleum products to the close China ally North Korea. The Adani Group had denied the allegations earlier.

The relentless attack on the Adani Group by the Congress-led Opposition had led to cracks in the grouping with NCP chief Sharad Pawar questioning the rationale and coming out in support of the conglomerate.

Pawar has claimed that the Hindenburg report is a deliberate attempt at targeting the conglomerate and had opposed the demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the allegations.