Power outage at Rahul Gandhi’s presser, BJP says Jairam Ramesh pulled the plug

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was in the middle of an attack on industrialist Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday when a power outage disrupted his statement. Gandhi sarcastically attributed the power cut to “Adani power, Modi power”.
Hours later, BJP’s Sambit Patra hit back at Rahul Gandhi and said his colleague Jairam Ramesh might have cut power instead to stop him.
Rahul Gandhi was addressing the media in New Delhi over US prosecutors’ indictment of Adani in an alleged bribery and fraud case linked to solar energy contracts. During his remarks, the microphone briefly went off. The Congress leader mockingly remarked, “Adani power, Modi power, don’t know which power it is. But both of them are one.”
He accused the PM of shielding Adani from prosecution, claiming, “Adani ji is involved in a Rs 2,000-crore scam but walks free because the PM protects him. Unless Adani is arrested and interrogated, no investigation will be credible. In the end, Narendra Modi’s name will come out because BJP’s entire funding structure is in his hands.”
Hours later, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra held a rebuttal press conference, ridiculing the Congress leader.
Sambit Patra said, “Rahul Gandhi keeps repeating the same three words—Adani, Ambani, chor. Today, his press conference had a power cut, and even for that, he blamed Adani and Modi. It’s his office, his electricity! I think Jairam Ramesh, who was sitting next to him, might have cut the power thinking, ‘Enough of Rahul Gandhi.’”
Patra accused Gandhi of exploiting issues like Rafale, Covid vaccines, and now Adani to create disruption before Parliament sessions. “This is Rahul Gandhi’s usual tactic to attack India’s institutions,” he said.
US prosecutors have accused Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and others of paying Rs 2,029 crore in bribes between 2020 and 2024 to secure solar power contracts. This latest controversy adds to the challenges to the Adani Group, which has been under scrutiny since Hindenburg Research accused it of stock manipulation and fraud, allegations the group has consistently denied.
The Adani Group strongly denied the allegations, calling the charges “baseless” and maintaining that they operate with the “highest standards of governance and compliance.”
In a statement, the group said, “As stated by the US Department of Justice, the charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. We are exploring all legal remedies to address the accusations.”