New Delhi: Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (August 6) alleged that the reason Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot stand up to US President Donald Trump’s continued threats is because “his hands are tied” due to the ongoing “US investigation into Adani”.“India, please understand: The reason PM Modi cannot stand up to President Trump despite his repeated threats is the ongoing US investigation into Adani,” said Gandhi in a statement.“One threat is to expose the financial links between Modi, AA, and Russian oil deals. Modi’s hands are tied.”Last year, the US indicted billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar and six other people, for allegedly giving bribes of around USD 265 million to various Indian government officials for securing power purchasing agreements during the period 2020-2024. The Adani Group has called the charges “baseless” and denied them.In June, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US Department of Justice is investigating whether the Adani group had imported Iranian petrochemical products from Iran. The allegation has been called “baseless and mischievous” by the Adani Group.Gandhi’s statement comes as Trump on Tuesday (August 5) reiterated his intention to levy a tariff on Indian goods “very substantially over the next 24 hours”, higher than the 25% he announced last week, repeating his stance that he is unhappy with India’s purchases of Russian oil even as Moscow continues its war with Ukraine.Earlier, on July 30, Trump announced that India would pay a 25% tariff as well as a yet-undisclosed “penalty” for buying energy and military equipment from Russia.On Monday (August 4), Trump had said he would “substantially raise” his 25% tariff on India – scheduled to go into effect on August 7 – because it was “not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil” but selling much of this “on the Open Market for big profits”. In its rejoinder the Ministry of External Affairs, pointed to Washington as well as the EU’s continuing economic links with Moscow.In its response, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has charged the US with “actively encouraging” its imports of Russian oil shortly after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, and pointed to the US as well as the EU’s continuing trade with Russia in various sectors after the latter’s invasion began.Gandhi’s statement also comes in the backdrop of Modi’s continued silence over Trump’s claims of mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May following a four-day long military conflict in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and subsequent Indian military operations titled Operation Sindoor. Modi said in parliament that “no world leader” had asked India to stop Operation Sindoor but stopped short of naming Trump.