New Delhi: Opposition members of parliament came together in both Houses of Parliament on the issue of allegations against the Adani group and raised slogans terming the Narendra Modi government an “Adani Sarkar”. They also demanded that the prime minister tell the nation what his government is doing on the issue.
The leaders of 16 parties also demanded that the Union government order a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee into the charges of fraud and stock manipulation that were levelled against the group by Hindenburg Research. As they raised the issue and shouted slogans in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the proceedings were adjourned by the respective chairs till 2 pm. Opposition raises Adani Sarkar
The opposition members also charged that public money has been put at risk through investments in the group by the Life Insurance Corporation of India, State Bank of India and other public sector banks. Opposition raises Adani Sarkar
In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla was heard reasoning that such slogan shouting was not right and that the House was not in order. However, as the opposition members pressed on with their demand for a JPC probe and kept raising slogans, the House was adjourned till 2 pm.
The proceedings in Rajya Sabha too were adjourned till 2 pm by Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar after the opposition held vociferous protests over the government not acceding to their demand for a JPC probe into the allegations against the Adani group.
Dhankar rejected the notices under Rule 267 for suspension of business and taking up the discussion. As the opposition members, led by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, protested against this and raised slogans, he insisted that the House was not the right “forum” for raising the issue.
“The fact that you choose a forum meant for deliberation for extraneous purposes, it is not appropriate… I appeal to you, it’s time for us to think what the common man is thinking,” Dhankar was heard saying.
Earlier in the day, in order to keep up the pressure on the Modi government to probe the allegations, leaders of 16 political parties met in Kharge’s chamber.
The parties which attended the meeting were the Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Nationalist Congress Party, Bharat Rashtra Samiti, Janata Dal United, Samajwadi Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPI, Kerala Congress (Jose Mani), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Rashtriya Lok Da, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Aam Aadmi Party, Indian Union Muslim League, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Shiv Sena.
During the meeting, the MPs of the participating parties decided to again protest over the issue both, within the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and also outside. Thereafter, the opposition MPs gathered near Mahatma Gandhi’s statues in the Parliament premises. Among those present at this protest were Congress leaders Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena (UBT).
Here Kharge said the opposition was prepared to discuss the President’s Address but first it would like a reply from Modi on the Adani issue. “(We are) ready to speak on the President’s Address. We give it its due importance. But first priority is that PM Modi (should) give a reply on (Adani) issue,” he was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.
The LoP added that the opposition also wants a discussion on the notices moved by it. “We demand discussion on our notices (in Parliament), we’re ready for a detailed discussion. We want it to be taken up first,” he said, adding that the government “wants to avoid it somehow and not bring it to record”.
Meanwhile, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MP Mahua Maji asked, “Why does PM Modi not want to come and face this? Everything is being privatised gradually, they are being shielded. You can see where the country is heading. The entire Opposition is united, we are protesting. We want answers, why is Adani being shielded?”
Several of the MPs also gave notices under Rule 267 for suspension of business in the Houses to discuss the issue. In these notices these MPs spelt out how they felt that public money has been put to risk through investments in the group by the Life Insurance Corporation of India, State Bank of India and other public sector banks.
In his notice, Congress MP and Whip in Rajya Sabha Syed Naseer Hussain urged the House to “suspend Zero Hour and relevant rules relating to Question Hour and other businesses of the day to discuss the issue of frauds in investment by LIC, SBI, public sector banks and other financial institutions losing market value, endangering the hard-earned savings of crores of Indians”.
In the Lok Sabha, Congress MP and whip Manickam Tagore said that “the House should come forward to discuss the matter keeping aside other routine business, and should constitute a Joint Parliamentary Committee to investigate further in this matter. The House should also direct the prime minister to disclose the actual loss of public money to the nation through this House”.
Apart from this, Congress MPs in Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari and Amee Yajnik and Bharat Rashtra Samiti MPs in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha also gave adjournment notices on the Adani issue.
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