Adani standoff forces Houses to adjourn on Day 1 of session
Opposition forces adjournment in Parliament over Adani bribery allegations, but focus may shift to pressing issues like inflation and unemployment.
The Congress-led Opposition forced adjournments in both Houses of Parliament on the opening day of the winter session on Monday over bribery allegations against the Adani Group but a standoff on this issue might not last long as other INDIA bloc constituents are keen to focus on more pressing issues.
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A senior Congress leader said the party is unlikely to push for a wash out of the entire session on the Adani issue or over the Opposition’s demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee as “other issues are also important”.
The Trinamool Congress’s national working committee met on Monday in Kolkata and outlined six key issues for the party in the winter session that didn’t include the Adani controversy. “The issues are price rise, inflation, unemployment, deprivation of PM Awas and other funds for West Bengal, fertilisers, Northeast and Manipur violence,” Chandrima Bhattacharya, Bengal minister and TMC spokesperson, said after the meeting.
“The Maharashtra results will have an impact of the equation between the Congress and other parties. Some parties might find that the Congress’s bargaining power is low. It is a clear indication that the TMC is not willing to toe the Congress’s line of attack in Parliament. With many state elections due in the next two years, the regional parties will prioritise their own issues. But we have wait longer to get the bigger picture,” said former Lok Sabha secretary general P Sreedharan.
TMC’s decisions, a senior leader pointed out, is also aimed at the party’s own MPs who are keen to raise the issue in the House.
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The Congress’s parliamentary strategy group met under the leadership of party chief Mallikarjun Kharge. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Congress general secretary for communications Jairam Ramesh said, “There are many economic, social and political issues: Modani scam, Manipur, the government’s claims on the agreement with China on border issues and what are the current issues we are facing, social polarisation, the orchestration of communal violence, the issue of pollution… there are about 13-14 issues.”
Ramesh also announced that the Congress will not give up the Adani issue and its demand for a JPC. “We are not going to back down. We are adamant on JPC on the Adani Issue. After the revelations in the US, the constitution of a JPC has become more important,” he said.
Last week, US prosecutors indicted Adani Group companies, its chief Gautam Adani and seven others for allegedly orchestrating a $265 million ( ₹2,029 crore) scheme to bribe Indian officials in order to secure green energy supply deals, plunging the multinational empire into a fresh crisis.
On Monday, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar announced that he received 13 notices under Rule 267 for adjournment of the House business. Kharge and Congress leaders Neeraj Dangi, Pramod Tiwari, Akhilesh Prasad Singh and Syed Naseer Hussain “have sought discussion on the alleged corruption, bribery and financial irregularities of the Adani Group.”
The Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh and Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s John Brittas had also given notice on similar issue.
Also Read: Kharge issues suspension of business notice for JPC probe over Adani Group allegations
“Sanjay Singh and Dr. Sandosh Kumar and Raghav Chadha have sought discussion on the ongoing violence and killings in Manipur. Sayed Naseer Hussain, Javed Ali Khan and Haris Beeran have sought discussion on violent clashes during survey in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. Further, Dr. V. Sivadasan has sought discussion on the need for special assistance to address the plight of people of Wayanad,” Dhankhar announced.
As Dhankhar disallowed the notices, Kharge, who was among those who had given notice for a discussion on the Adani bribery issue, said if the listed business is suspended, the opposition parties could explain why the issue was “very important” and impacting the country.
The image of the country was tarnished globally, he said.
When the House re-assembled at 11.45 am, the chairman said he had the highest respect for the members of the House and urged them to allow him to continue with the scheduled business, but adjourned the House till Wednesday shortly after.
At a meeting with the party leaders, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today urged the members to convey their dissent in a constructive manner and avoid ruckus in the House in the name of protest.
“At the BAC meeting today, Sh. Birla referred to 75 years of adoption of Constitution and recalled the glorious traditions of high quality debates by our founding fathers in the constituent assembly. In view of the Samvidhan Diwas celebrations in Samvidhan Sadan tomorrow, he urged the members of various political parties to engage in a meaningful dialogue,” an official said.
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