NEW DELHI: Congress and other opposition parties of INDIA bloc conducted an unusual protest on the Adani issue on Thursday in the Parliament premises, with members of different parties wearing black over-jackets with stickers reading “Modi Adani ek hai” (Modi and Adani are the same) and “Adani Safe Hai” (Adani is safe) on them. They raised slogans to demand a joint parliamentary (JPC) probe into the allegations against the Adani group.
Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party, who have steered clear of Congress-led opposition protest programmes on the Adani issue, since the House opened for the Winter Session, kept away from protest gathering before the Parliament gate on Thursday morning.
While TMC sources have been saying that the opposition strategy to protest is not being coordinated “properly” by Congress and the party prefers to act on its own while raising issues against the government, and also that it has no problem about taking up the Adani issue as part of a House debate, instead of participating in a Congress-led show of protest, SP has avoided standing next to the Congress on the Adani protests, saying “Sambhal” is priority for the Uttar Pradesh party.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who put the sticker on his trademark white T-shirt, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot get an investigation done against Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani, as it would amount to a probe against himself.
Congress MPs including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and lawmakers of several other opposition parties like RJD, CPM, CPI, DMK, Shiv Sena (UBT), JMM, were among parties who participated in the protest.
Congress MPs Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi demanded that a discussion on the indictment of Adani in a US court on charges of bribery and fraud must take place in Parliament and PM Modi must speak in the House on the issue.
Unlike earlier gatherings, the protest was held in front of the stairway of Parliament’s Makar Dwar and not on the stairway itself, following a Lok Sabha Secretariat advisory urging MPs not to hold protests in front of Parliament gates, saying that such obstruction of movement could affect their safety and security. Speaker Om Birla also flagged the issue in the House on Wednesday.
After a while, the protesting members lined up in front of the Samvidhan Sadan and raised slogans against Modi and Adani there, like they did on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla urged members not to sport lapel pins and badges other than the national tricolour in Parliament, since many Congress members were kept wearing their stickers on the jackets and shirts, after the protest in the Parliament premises. LoP Rahul Gandhi wore a sticker on his T-shirt. Birla referred rules of procedure, that said a member shall not wear to display badges of any kind in the House, except the National Flag in the form of a lapel pin or a badge.
Congress and some opposition parties are demanding a JPC probe following the indictment of Adani and other company officials in a US court.
