Adani row storms Parliament; Oppn demands JPC, SC-monitored probe

Opposition parties Thursday sought a debate in Parliament and a probe by a joint committee into the fraud-allegation-triggered rout in Adani group company stocks, forcing adjournment of proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the pre-lunch session.
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge said the Opposition parties also demanded that there should be day-to-day reporting of the Joint Parliament Committee (JPC) or the SC-monitored probe into the issue which concerns public money.
“Keeping public interest in mind, we want a thorough probe into the Adani issue either by a Joint Parliamentary Committee [JPC] or a Supreme Court-monitored Committee. There should also be day-to-day reporting of the investigation on the issue,” Kharge told reporters.
The Congress, Shiv Sena, the Left, Aam Aadmi Party and other opposition parties tried to raise in both Houses of Parliament the issue of allegations levelled by a US short seller against the Adani group and the subsequent mayhem on company stocks but were disallowed by the chair.
Unhappy with the ruling, they raised slogans, forcing the adjournment of proceedings till 2 pm without transacting any official business.
Earlier, leaders of like-minded parties met in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and discussed the issues that are to be brought up during the session which began on January 31. Sources said the parties decided to jointly raise the Adani Group crisis in Parliament and demand a discussion on it.
Leaders of the Congress, the DMK, the TMC, the SP, the JD(U), the Shiv Sena, the CPI(M), the CPI, the NCP, the IUML, the NC, the AAP and the Kerala Congress were present at the meeting.
The Opposition parties sought to discuss the Adani issue, Chinese transgressions at the border and role of Governors in States, and demanded a discussion.
Nine MPs, including Kharge, Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, BRS MP K. Keshava Rao and Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh, had given notices under rule 267 seeking suspension of regular business to discuss the Adani group stock route and its impact on millions of small investors as well as the hard earned savings of crores of Indians being endangered in loss of value of investments of LIC.
Seeking suspension of business notice under Rule 267 for Thursday, Kharge said, “That this House do 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.”
Giving a notice under Rule 267 (suspension of business) to discuss the Hindenburg report against the Adani Enterprises, Mr. Rao said “the report exposes the dangers to which the Indian people and economy are subjected to and merit immediate discussion, adjourning the other business”.