Adani row: House stalled, Oppn rallies together for a JPC probe, sees chance to corner govt

A meeting called by the Congress ahead of the day’s proceedings in Parliament, followed by a media briefing, saw participation by 13 other parties, including the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which have been known to shy away from Congress-led initiatives.

Around the same time five years ago, the BJP government and Modi had faced Opposition heat over the Rafale fighter jet purchase. While the allegations then did not stick to the BJP, both politically and legally, the difference this time is that the Opposition can make it about the hard-earned savings of crores of Indians being “endangered” through investment in Adani Group companies.

The Opposition is taking this line of argument, that the exposure of LIC and public sector banks like the SBI to the Adani Group has significant implications for middle-class savings. Opposition leaders said that they expect the government to brazen it out and not concede their demand, but they will dig their heels in and try to use the Parliament stage to corner Modi.

The Congress has also announced street protests. AICC general secretary in-charge of organisation K C Venugopal said the party will hold protests in front of Life Insurance Corporation Offices and State Bank of India branches in all districts on Monday.

The rallying on the Adani issue was evident at the meeting called by Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday morning, and the press conference by the non-BJP parties later. While the TMC and AAP attended the meeting, the BRS joined later at the press conference.

Among those present at the meeting were Ramgopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, the TMC’s Derek O Brien, the NCP’s Vandana Chavan, the Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray faction’s Sanjay Raut, the DMK’s Kanimozhi, the CPI(M)’s Elamaram Kareem, the AAP’s Sanjay Singh, and the CPI’s Binoy Viswam.

Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha could not transact any business because of Opposition protests. The Houses were to begin a discussion on the motion of thanks on the President’s address.

Kharge said crores of people have investments in the LIC and their hard-earned money “was going to waste” because of the fall in Adani’s Group’s stocks. “You know the owner of this company… We want to know how the government has allowed the LIC to invest in such companies. Why are they pressuring?” he said. In public interest, the Congress president added, they wanted “a thorough probe into the Adani issue either by a JPC or a Supreme Court-monitored probe. There should also be day-to-day reporting on the investigation… otherwise people will have no faith left in the LIC or public sector banks,” he said.

The AAP’s Sanjay Singh attacked the government calling Adani “a close friend of Modi”, and said he was like the BJP’s treasurer. The Congress called the PM the businessman’s “prime mentor”, while its media department head Pawan Khera questioned the silence of the government.

“The Modi government has maintained a stoic silence on the Hindenburg Research report, as if nothing has happened. We want to tell Prime Minister Modi that we have nothing to say when you cheat your best friend. But we shall not keep quiet if you cheat the investors of India – 29 crore policy holders of the LIC and 45 crore account holders of the SBI,” he said.

Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh said the government “is clearly cornered on the Adani issue”. “It does not want it even mentioned in Parliament. Hence both Houses adjourned for the day… without even giving the Opposition a chance to demand a JPC into this maha mega scam.”

Since 2014, the Opposition has demanded a JPC probe twice, into the Rafale aircraft deal and the demonetisation decision. It was stonewalled both times by the government.