On 1st day of Winter Session, both Houses adjourned in an hour as Opposition seeks to raise Adani issue

He said the behaviour of such parties stifles the rights of new MPs who bring fresh ideas and energy.

“These new members are often denied opportunities to speak in the House. In a democratic tradition, every generation has the responsibility to prepare the next generations. But those who have been repeatedly rejected by the people – 80, 90 times – neither allow discussions in Parliament nor respect democratic principles or the aspirations of the people. They don’t realise their responsibility towards the people. As a result, they consistently fail to meet public expectations, leading to repeated rejection by the electorate,” he said.

Referring to the outcome of recent Assembly elections, he said the results have “further strengthened the outcomes of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, broadening the support base and increasing trust in democratic processes. In democracy, it is imperative for us to respect the sentiments of the people and work tirelessly to meet their hopes and expectations.”

“I have repeatedly urged the Opposition, and some opposition members act very responsibly. They also desire smooth functioning of the House. However, those rejected by the people suppress even their colleagues’ voices, disrespect their feelings, and undermine the spirit of democracy. I hope our new members, from all parties, get opportunities. They bring fresh ideas and innovative visions to advance Bharat.”

As the Prime Minister spoke, floor leaders of the opposition parties met at Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge’s chamber and decided to raise the Adani issue. Cutting across party lines, several opposition MPs had given notices for a discussion on the Adani bribery issue suspending all other business. In Rajya Sabha, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he had received 13 notices to raise issues under Rule 267, including from Opposition MPs who wanted a discussion on the “alleged corruption, bribery and financial irregularities of the Adani Group”.

MPs had also submitted notices to discuss the violence in Manipur and Sambhal, and the need for assistance for the people of Wayanad affected by the landslides earlier this year. Rejecting the notices, Dhankhar said: “These notices do not conform to the directives imparted by the chair in this behalf. I have not been able to persuade myself to agree to the same.” With the Opposition then continuing to raise the demand, Dhankhar first adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes and then for the day.

In Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House for an hour as soon as opposition benches sought a discussion on Adani indictment issue. The House was adjourned for the day when it reconvened an hour later. Speaking to reporters later, Kharge said the Opposition wanted to raise the Adani issue in Parliament. “There are serious allegations of corruption, bribery and financial irregularities against the Adani Group. We wanted to raise that issue in the House….whichever country Modi visits…the Adani group gets contracts…So we wanted a dispassionate discussion on the issue.”

Responding to Modi’s allegations, Kharge said he has accused the opposition of creating a ruckus. “He visited Bangladesh…Adani got a power contract…he went to Malaysia..Adani got a mega container project…Isreal..he got contracts for drone manufacturing and Haifa port…the PM went to Singapore..Adani got investments from a state-owned firm…So what we are saying is that all these are happening because of Modi’s support…we wanted a detailed discussion on all these issues.”

“We want a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to be set up, in which there will be more people from his party (BJP) and all get an opportunity to be represented. Form a JPC, let the truth come out…It is important that we raise this issue to help save the country. But, Modi ji says that we are creating a ruckus..Modiji targets the opposition abroad and says that we are tarnishing his image. You are spoiling the image of the country with such acts of corruption and helping businessmen get contracts,” Kharge said.