When India rises, the same old machinery of disinformation begins to grind. The Congress party’s political ecosystem and its Western media allies are once again working in tandem to paint a dark picture of India’s growth story. The latest example comes from The Washington Post, which published a hit job accusing the Modi government of forcing the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to invest in Adani Group shares. What is being projected as investigative journalism is, in reality, a coordinated campaign one that operates from newsrooms in Washington and political offices in Delhi, both echoing each other’s talking points against India’s economic ascent.
The article’s author, Ravi Nair already known for his partisan writings during the Hindenburg controversy resurrects stale allegations without any new evidence. His credentials speak volumes: the same man authored “Rafale: Flying Lies” after Rahul Gandhi’s infamous apology to the Supreme Court over the Rafale slander campaign. He even presented the book to Gandhi, co-authored with activist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, another familiar face in anti-India circles. The new Washington Post story is not a revelation; it’s a rerun of the old Congress toolkit, wrapped in the prestige of a foreign masthead.
LIC Under Modi: From Political ATM to Global-Grade Investor
To understand the hollowness of the propaganda, one must first look at the numbers. LIC’s total portfolio stands at an impressive ₹41 lakh crore, of which exposure to the Adani Group is less than 1% hardly the “massive bailout” Congress and its allies claim. Every rupee is invested through a process of strict risk assessment, due diligence, and compliance under the watchful eye of India’s financial regulators. Not a single rupee has defaulted. In fact, LIC has earned over ₹66,000 crore in gains through its equity investments, proving the soundness of its decisions.
Under the UPA, however, LIC was not an investor it was a political tool. The Congress regime forced LIC to buy loss-making PSU shares like ONGC and NTPC at inflated rates to plug budget deficits created by corruption and inefficiency. Those were real “forced” investments, made not in the national interest but to cover political failures.
In contrast, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, LIC has transformed into a globally respected, profit-generating institution. It is now guided by transparent systems, independent decision-making, and strict accountability. The Department of Financial Services has categorically clarified that it has no role in LIC’s investment decisions they are purely merit-based.
LIC’s financial health is equally robust. In FY 2024–25, LIC reported a profit of ₹48,151 crore, marking an 18% rise from the previous fiscal year. Its equity holdings tell a story of strategic diversification and long-term vision. LIC’s total equity portfolio has grown from ₹2,55,092 crore in 2013–14 to a staggering ₹13,01,656 crore in 2024–25 a fivefold jump under the Modi government. Its top holdings include ₹1.3 lakh crore in Tata Group, ₹1.3 lakh crore in Reliance Industries, ₹82,800 crore in ITC, and ₹1.4 lakh crore combined in HDFC and SBI. Its Adani exposure, by comparison, is a mere 4.5% of its total equity portfolio.
Congress’s Hypocrisy: When the Pickpocket Teaches Wallet Safety
Despite the facts being public and audited, Congress has turned the Washington Post article into a political campaign. The party’s official X (Twitter) handle posted memes mocking LIC’s investments, sarcastically writing “₹3,30,00,00,00,000 मात्र” alongside an image of Prime Minister Modi handing a giant LIC cheque to Gautam Adani with the slogan “Modi Hai To Mumkin Hai.” The same party that presided over the collapse of public sector companies now pretends to be the guardian of taxpayer money.
Congress questioning LIC’s financial integrity is like a pickpocket lecturing on wallet safety. During the UPA era, public financial institutions were routinely drained to fund populist schemes and rescue collapsing entities. Today, those very institutions are thriving, transparent, and globally recognized a reality that the Congress cannot digest.
LIC has clearly stated that its investment in Adani Ports & SEZ worth about $570 million is rated ‘AAA’ by credit agencies, backed by detailed due diligence. The investment has generated consistent returns and remains part of a balanced portfolio. Moreover, LIC’s stakes in Reliance and Tata are far higher than in Adani Group companies. Yet Congress selectively targets Adani because attacking a successful Indian conglomerate serves a dual purpose: undermining investor confidence in India and reviving its fading political relevance.
Western Media’s Real Agenda: Keep India a Market, Not a Competitor
At the heart of this controversy lies a deeper geopolitical discomfort the West’s unease with India’s growing self-reliance. The Adani Group represents more than business success; it symbolizes India’s emergence as a player capable of challenging Western monopolies in global trade, ports, logistics, and renewable energy. From the Gulf to the Mediterranean, Indian companies are building networks that threaten Western dominance.
For decades, India was expected to remain a consumer market, not a competitor. The Washington Post and similar publications cannot stomach an India that produces, builds, and exports on its own terms. They frame every achievement as a scandal, every policy reform as authoritarian, and every success as a risk to democracy.
Congress, ever eager for foreign validation, happily plays the courier in this transcontinental smear campaign. When domestic narratives fail, the party relies on its foreign amplifiers to do the heavy lifting. Together, they push a narrative of “crony capitalism,” hoping to dent investor confidence just as India becomes the world’s fastest-growing major economy.
Adani’s legal team, meanwhile, is reportedly preparing action against defamatory and misleading reporting. The facts are transparent, audited, and available in the public domain. The allegations are not journalism they are information warfare disguised as investigation.
India’s Institutions Earn, Congress’s Lies Burn
The latest attack on LIC and Adani is not about financial prudence it’s about political desperation. The Congress-Western media nexus cannot accept that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian institutions once crippled by corruption have become engines of growth. LIC is no longer a bailout fund for failed governments but a disciplined investor building India’s future.
The Washington Post story is not the first attempt to malign India’s economic success, nor will it be the last. Every time India climbs a step higher on the global ladder, someone in Washington writes an obituary, and someone in Delhi cheers. But the truth stands tall: under Modi, India earns, builds, and grows; under Congress, it bled, borrowed, and broke.
The toolkit may be global, but India’s resolve is national. No amount of propaganda can derail a country whose institutions are stronger, markets steadier, and ambitions higher than ever before. The West may try to dictate the narrative but this time, India is writing its own story.