A united Opposition Thursday stalled both houses of Parliament demanding a discussion on the row over a report by New York-based investor research firm Hindenburg Research, which has accused industrialist Gautam Adani’s companies of “brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades”. Leaders of several Opposition parties met at Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge’s chamber in Parliament to discuss the floor strategy. Sources said several leaders were of the view that the Opposition should demand the setting up of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to look into the entire episode. Some of the leaders were in favour of a Supreme Court-monitored probe as they felt the composition of a JPC, given the numerical strength of the BJP in Parliament, will be tilted in favour of the ruling side. Among those who attended the meeting were Ramgopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress’s Derek O Brien, NCP’s Vandana Chavan, Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray faction’s Sanjay Raut, DMK’s Kanimozhi, CPM’s Elamaram Kareem, AAP’s Sanjay Singh, and CPI’s Binoy Viswam. Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha was adjourned soon after the third day of the Budget Session began at 11 am, with Opposition members demanding a discussion on the Adani Group. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar began the morning session of the upper house by addressing the notices given under Rule 267 given by nine Opposition MPs—Kharge, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Binoy Vishwam, A A Rahim, A Karim, Sanjay Singh, K Keshav Rao, P Santosh Kumar, and Tiruchi Siva. Kharge’s notice said, “That this House does suspend Zero Hour and relevant rules relating to Question Hour and other businesses of the day to discuss the issue of investment by LIC, public sector banks and financial institutions in companies losing market value, endangering the hard-earned savings of crores of Indians.” Rule 267 of Rajya Sabha’s rulebook allows for the suspension of the day’s business to discuss an issue raised by a member—usually a matter of national importance. Addressing the notice, Dhankhar said the demands do not fulfil the requirements of Rule 267 to allow suspension of business. Pointing to similar demands which had been raised in the Winter Session of Parliament by Opposition members on other issues, and which he had not acceded to, Dhankhar said, “I had firmly indicated earlier the fulfilment of conditions required for the invoking of Rule 267. I have carefully gone through the notices received and find that they are not in order.” Dhankhar added the notices do not fulfil the needs of Rule 267, leading to loud objections by the Opposition MPs. He subsequently adjourned Rajya Sabha proceedings till 2 pm. “Both Houses of Parliament adjourned today till 2pm because the Government did not agree to combined Opposition demands for an investigation into forced investments by LIC, SBI & other public institutions that have lost huge value in recent days endangering savings of crores of Indians,” Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh said.
