(Our Special Correspondent)
New Delhi: A combined Opposition of parties under the Congress leadership intensified their tirade against the Modi government over its silence on the Adani group’s scam by disrupting both the houses of parliament on Thursday.
At least 11 Opposition parties wanted a Joint Parliament Committee (JPC) or a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the Hindenburg Research report on the Adani Group, which accused the group of “brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud”.
Addressing a joint press conference held at Vijay Chowk shortly after the adjournment of both the Houses of Parliament, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the opposition parties also demanded that there should be day-to-day reporting of the Joint Parliament Committee (JPC) or the SC-monitored probe into the issue of investment by LIC, public sector banks and financial institutions, in which crores of Indians have put their lifetime savings.
Kharge also registered his protest over the presiding officer not accepting the notice under Rule 267 of the House for discussion on the issue. Adani group stocks, where LIC is heavily invested, have lost over USD 100 billion in value since the New York short seller Hindenburg Research came out with a damning report alleging financial and accounting fraud by the ports-to-energy conglomerate. Echoing Kharge’s demand, SP Leader Ram Gopal Yadav said that people are losing sleep over their hard-earned savings in LIC and SBI. “When people go to withdraw money from SBI, they are being asked to come later,” he alleged. So was BRS leader Dr K Keshav Rao.Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that the Opposition parties are together in demanding a probe on the Adani expose. “We are all in agreement with Kharge. Why is the Modi government silent after such an expose? Adani is PM Modi s close friend and the BJP runs on his money. Today, LIC and SBI are sinking and Modiji is sleeping. We will continue to raise our voice in the Parliament,” he said.
Voicing similar concerns, DMK MP Kanimozhi said that the party is also seeking a JPC or CJI-led investigation into the matter.Before the start of the Parliament session, leaders of several opposition parties including the Congress, DMK, TMC, SP, JD(U), Shiv Sena, CPI(M), CPI, NCP, IUML, NC, AAP, and the Kerala Congress met in the Parliament complex to chalk out a joint strategy to corner the government during the Budget session on the row involving the Adani Group.
Meanwhile, the Adani group has denied all charges of Hindenburg and called the report malicious and full of lies.
The Adani group on Wednesday had also withdrew its follow-on public offer (EPO). LIC has a sizable holding in almost all the 10 listed companies of the Adani Group. The holdings include 9 per cent in Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, 3.7 per cent in Adani Transmission, 1.3 per cent in Adani Green Energy and 6 per cent in Adani Total Gas Ltd.LIC, India’s largest life insurer, invested about Rs 300 crore in buying 9,15,748 more shares as an anchor investor in a Rs 20,000-crore new share sale by Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL).
