New Delhi: Opposition parties staged a walkout from both Houses of Parliament on Thursday (February 2) after their demand to discuss the allegations of fraud against the Adani group were turned down. Later, leaders of parties demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe or a time-bound investigation by a Supreme Court-appointed panel into allegations levelled against the group in the Hindenburg Research report, as also into its proximity with the current Central leadership.
Opposition leaders meet, decide to move notices to seek discussion in LS, RS
Though the House was to take up a discussion on the President’s Address and the Union Budget, the leaders of nine opposition parties met in the chambers of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge this morning.
In the meeting, attended by leaders of the Congress, Left parties, Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Janata Dal United, it was decided that a notice for discussing the crash of the Adani stocks and the erosion of wealth of the general public would be given.
Subsequently, several MPs including Kharge from the Congress, Sanjay Singh of AAP and K. Keshava Rao of Bharat Rashtra Samithi gave notices to discuss the issue. Similarly, in the Lok Sabha, Congress whip Manickam Tagore filed an adjournment motion.
Kharge in his motion demanded that the House suspend the Zero Hour and relevant rules relating to Question Hour and other businesses of the day to “discuss the issue of investment by LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India), public sector banks and financial institutions in companies losing market value, endangering the hard-earned savings of crores of Indians.”
The notice by Rao said the Hindenburg report “exposes the dangers to which the Indian people and economy are subjected to” and merit immediate discussion.
Likewise, the notice issued by Tagore in the Lok Sabha said there was an emergency situation which has arisen due to the sharp fall in the price of the Adani group shares. “This was followed by the Hindenburg report. A significant volume of public money through SBI and LIC is locked in the Adani Group. It is pertinent to discuss the matter immediately in the House, leaving aside routine business. The finance minister should disclose the actual condition of the loss and steps initiated by the government to save public money,” the notice read.
However, as both Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Jagdish Dhankar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla refused to accept the notices and take up the discussion on the Adani group issue, the opposition members first raised slogans in both the Houses and then staged a walk-out in protest.
Later, addressing the media in the lawns of Parliament, Kharge said: “We wanted a discussion on that. But out notices were rejected. Whenever we raise important issues, no time is given for discussing them. Money of poor people is there in LIC, SBI and other national banks and it is being given to selected companies.”
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said as small investors have lost a large amount of money they wanted a discussion on the matter in Parliament. She added that the MPs now want that the Adani group issue be probed by JPC or a SC-appointed committee.
Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said: “What we have to say is that Narendra Modi gave coal, iron ore, steel, cement, port and airport, and the freedom to trade in drugs to his friend. Everything has been handed over to one person. And not only this, he also got his friend thousands of crores in loans from reputed institutions like LIC and SBI.”
Singh added, “what we are saying is that if the Adani group formed fake/ shell companies and purchased his own shares to overvalue them and take loans from banks, then crores of those people are worried who had invested their money in these banks, LIC or SBI.”
“People had saved and invested their money for their daughter’s wedding, to construct a small, for old age or to take care of their medical needs and now all these people want an answer from the government,” he said.