Congress plans to intensify protest over Adani issue | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Congress plans to intensify protest over Adani issue

By, New Delhi
Mar 14, 2023 05:36 AM IST

Along with other opposition parties, the Congress has been demanding a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe on the Adani-Hindenburg issue.

The Congress party walked out of a meeting chaired by Speaker Om Birla, sought Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Pralhad Joshi’s comments against Rahul Gandhi be expunged in the Lok Sabha, shouted slogans along with other opposition parties and disrupted Parliament for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe on the Adani-Hindenburg issue.

Police use water cannons to disperse Congress workers during a protest march to Raj Bhavan, in Bhopal, on Monday. (PTI)
Police use water cannons to disperse Congress workers during a protest march to Raj Bhavan, in Bhopal, on Monday. (PTI)

Also Read: Stormy start to Parliament over Adani, Rahul remarks

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The party’s protestations were backed by demonstrations in several parts of the country, with Congress workers and leaders leading marches to state governor houses in the hundreds against the Union government.

“If we talk about democracy in any college, we are called anti-nationals. In Korea, Modi said, whatever happened in this country in 70 years, he condemned them. In Canada, he said that he is cleaning the mess that has been spread,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said in Delhi.

“There is no rule of law and democracy under Modi ji. They are running the country like a dictatorship, and then they talk about democracy,” Kharge said at a media briefing, alleging that he was not allowed to speak in the Rajya Sabha even for two minutes.

Party leaders claimed their demand for a parliamentary panel and protests over price rise will continue. “We don’t expect the House to run smoothly for next few days if the government doesn’t accept our demand for a JPC,” a Congress leader said, declining to be named.

Also Read: On Adani-Hindenburg row, Centre says no significant impact at systemic level

Congress floor leader Adhir Chowdhury and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader TR Balu walked out of the business advisory committee’s meeting in a rare step after both leaders didn’t get a chance to speak in the Lok Sabha during the day. Later, Chowdhury wrote to Birla, asking Singh and Joshi’s remarks to be expunged.

Singh had demanded in the Lok Sabha that Gandhi’s comments on Indian democracy and Parliament in London “should be condemned by all members of this House and he should be asked to apologise before the House.”

Joshi recalled the 2013 incident of Gandhi describing a United Progressive Alliance government’s ordinance as “complete nonsense” and said: “Who was in power when the fundamental rights were suspended during Emergency? When he tore apart an ordinance passed under the leadership of Manmohan Singh, Sharad Pawar, Pranab Mukherjee, and called it nonsense, where was democracy at that time?”

In his letter, Chowdhury quoted Rule 352 that says a member while speaking shall not make “personal reference by way of making an allegation imputing a motive to or questioning the bona fides of any other member of the House.” He also cited Rule 353 that says: “No allegation of a defamatory or incriminatory nature shall be made by a member against any person unless the member has given adequate advance notice.”

“Today, both the Hon’ble ministers made unsubstantiated remarks against our leader without prior notice and no opportunity was accorded to the members of his party to refute the allegations,” Chowdhury wrote.

On Monday, Congress workers in Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Assam marched to the governor’s office in the respective states. In at least three of these states – Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Assam -- police used force to break up the demonstrations.

In the morning, the Congress held a strategy meeting in Delhi before holding a meeting with 15 other parties to discuss the floor strategy. “Under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, a meeting was held. We discussed how ruling party MPs are trying use privilege notices to stop critical comments. There was also a discussion on how presiding officers are trying to throttle free speech in Parliament,” Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi later said. “The leaders agreed that the two issues should be taken up aggressively.”

The Hindenburg report, misuse of agencies and the need to express solidarity with other opposition parties on common issues were also discussed, another leader said, seeking anonymity.

“But we had a dilemma on how far the Congress will go in terms of protesting inside and outside the House and disrupting the session over common issues,” a third leader said.

In the business advisory committee, Trinamool Congress’s Sudip Bandopadhay urged Birla to ensure more time for the opposition in the House.

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