NEW DELHI — In a major political escalation, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday leveled serious allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that the PM used an official diplomatic visit to personally lobby for the Adani Group.
Taking to the microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter), the Leader of the Opposition questioned whether PM Modi made a personal intervention to get Adani companies removed from Norway’s government pension fund blacklist.
“We get very good information these days,” Gandhi wrote on X. “Modi ji, did Norway agree to your personal request to remove Adani from their pension fund black list?”
The Core of the Allegations
The political row centers around Prime Minister Modi’s historic diplomatic visit to Norway, marking the first time an Indian Prime Minister has visited the Nordic nation in 43 years. However, the opposition has quickly seized on the timing of the trip to link it to the financial troubles of the Adani Group.
To back his claims, Gandhi shared an infographic contrasting two major events:
- February 27, 2026: Norway’s sovereign wealth fund—officially known as the Government Pension Fund Global—dropped Adani Green Energy from its portfolio, following previous exclusions of Adani Ports due to concerns surrounding corporate governance and alleged financial irregularities.
- May 18, 2026: Prime Minister Modi arrived in Norway for a high-profile state visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.
The Congress party has repeatedly accused the ruling government of favoring the billionaire Gautam Adani’s conglomerate. Gandhi’s latest attack suggests that the official state visit carried a hidden economic agenda aimed at rescuing the corporate giant from international financial scrutiny.
A Flag-Sized Gaffe Online?
While the political allegations have sparked intense debate, internet users and eagle-eyed observers were quick to point out a glaring visual error in the graphic posted by the Congress leader.
The image shared by Rahul Gandhi features the Indian national flag alongside a blue flag with a yellow cross. However, the flag pictured is actually the national flag of Sweden, not Norway. The Norwegian flag features a white-and-blue Nordic cross on a red field.
The flag mix-up quickly triggered a wave of trolling from political opponents, who accused the opposition leader of failing to do basic fact-checking before launching a major international diplomatic accusation.
Current Status
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) have not yet issued an official response to Gandhi’s specific allegations regarding the sovereign wealth fund.
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, managed by Norges Bank Investment Management, operates under strict ethical guidelines independent of direct political maneuvering, making any immediate policy reversal highly unlikely. Nonetheless, the controversy has once again brought the intersection of Indian politics, foreign policy, and corporate governance into the global spotlight.
This story is developing and will be updated as responses from the Ministry of External Affairs and the BJP are received.
