‘Govt Is Scared Of Probe In Adani Case, Has No Reply To Rahul’s Questions’
Mar 27, 2023 | Pratirodh BureauSource: IANS/PTI
The Congress on Monday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, with leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge saying that he had no answers to questions posed by the now disqualified MP Rahul Gandhi on the Adani issue.
Addressing the media after a protest march outside Parliament, Kharge asked, “Why are you scared of a JPC on Adani? You have a two-thirds majority in Parliament, then why are you scared? This means that something is awry…”
On the party members wearing black, Kharge said it was a black day for democracy.
“Why are we here in black clothes? We want to show that PM Modi is ending democracy in the country. He first finished autonomous bodies, then they put up their own governments everywhere by threatening those who had won polls. Then they used the ED and CBI to bend those who didn’t bow,” Kharge said.
The Congress president, while referring to Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as the Lok Sabha MP, said, “Rahul Gandhi asked PM Modi why he takes Adani with him, why he allows him to meet other leaders and the business community when on tour, and how Adani reaches where the Prime Minister has an official visit.”
Kharge alleged that the Centre was fearful of answering these questions and instead chose to disqualify Rahul Gandhi to save itself.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi why there was no investigation into the investment of people’s retirement fund in the Adani group, even after various allegations were levelled against the firm.
Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said, “LIC’s capital, to Adani! SBI’s capital, to Adani! EPFO’s capital too, to Adani! Why is public’s retirement money being invested in Adani’s companies even after ‘Modani’ exposed?”.
“Mr prime minister, no investigation, no answer! Why so much of fear,” he asked in a tweet in Hindi.
A major political controversy had erupted after Adani Group stocks took a beating on the bourses after US-based short seller Hindenburg Research made a litany of allegations, including fraudulent transactions and share-price manipulation, last month. The Gautam Adani-led group has dismissed the charges as lies, saying it complies with all laws and disclosure requirements.
Gandhi has been attacking the prime minister on the Adani issue and has been demanding an investigation into the matter. He has alleged that his disqualification from the Lok Sabha was due to him raising questions on the Adani issue, but asserted that he will continue to do so even if he is disqualified from Parliament for life.
The former Congress chief was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on Friday after he was convicted and sentenced to a two-year jail term in a defamation case by a Surat court.