Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray has shared a controversial documentary that raises serious allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India's richest man, Gautam Adani. Thackeray's X post, which claims 'the government wants to make this documentary disappear', received more than 4 million views in 24 hours.
The 36-minute documentary is titled 'The Friendship Files'. Credits that appear in the documentary say it was made by 'Shadow Citizens'. Indian-American entrepreneur Sabeer Bhatia, who co-founded Hotmail, reportedly published the documentary on X.
News agency PTI reported that 24 X account holders were served legal notices for sharing the documentary from Bhatia's handle. Over the past few days, Bhatia has made multiple posts connected to the documentary. He thanked Thackeray "for having the courage to post" the explosive content on his X feed.
Popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, who was part of the youth protests in the country against electoral revisions, shared the documentary with a caption: “Watch this documentary, it will open your eyes.”
What is the documentary about?
'The Friendship Files' alleges a long-standing friendship between PM Modi and Adani. It is made in a linear storytelling style, starting from Modi's political journey as the Chief Minister of Gujarat in the early 2000s.
The documentary makes a series of claims by linking several key events in the country over the last two decades, including the auctioning of coal mines, the privatisation of airports and the acquisition of media outlets, to the alleged friendship between PM Modi and Adani.
"Politicians and industrialists are two sides of the same coin," the documentary says before adding that the "old circle” was now a “spiral that has trapped us all”.
The documentary mentions the plight of Suryanarayan Hembrom, a farmer from Jharkhand, who moved the High Court in 2019 against an alleged move by the Adani Group to acquire their land.
‘The Friendship Files’ also refers to the controversial Hindenburg Research report that came out in early 2023, accusing Adani Group of stock manipulation and accounting fraud.
The news of the seizure of Rs 21,000-crore worth of drugs from Adani-operated Mundra Port in Gujarat in September 2021, which was reported by news agencies, including PTI, also features in the documentary.
The makers of the documentary end it with a disclaimer that says the sole purpose of the work was “to explore and investigate aspects of Indian history, in accordance with Article 51 A of the Indian Constitution”, which concerns the fundamental rights.
