SEBI CLEAN CHIT OFFICIALLY NULLIFIES CONSPIRACY AGAINST INDIAN COMPANIES

In February 2025, PM Modi addressing the joint press conference at White House uncharacteristically shamed a reporter.

- SHWETA SHALINI

Onbeing quizzed of charges brought by US prosecutors on Adani, PM Modi reminded “I believe every Indian is mine. And when it comes to such personal matters, two leaders of two countries will not get together on the topic and discuss anything on an individual matter.”

The White House Press briefings by world leaders are generally an international relationship exercise. Ordinarily, the white house press corps is mature enough to understand that and stick to questions on bilateral ties. They made an exception for Adani because they had a unique agenda in targeting him. A prolonged campaign has been underway in the US to taint Indian businessmen and pause their successful run. While heads of state often travel with a business delegation, individual business leaders, contracts or projects are rarely the central theme of bilateral ties. PM Modi was right in driving home this point. US President Barack Obama was once rather blunt when replying to a similar question in 2017. In an interview in India, an anchor posed a question on specific companies - “almost three years have passed (since you solved the problem of nuclear liability issues) and no meaningful step has been taken by either Westinghouse or GE to build a nuclear plant in India”. Replying to this, Barack Obama admitted that there is often a “mercantilist element” to the job of leading a country” before hitting back “my job was not to guarantee that a deal goes through. That's a little bit below my pay grade.”