United opposition raise issues of fraud against Adani Group in a joint strategy to take on the central government during the Budget Session
Leaders of several opposition parties met in the Parliament complex Thursday morning to evolve a joint strategy to take on the central government during the Budget Session and decided to seek a discussion on the Adani Group issue.
Opposition members rushed to the Well raising slogans as soon as Speaker Om Birla welcomed a Parliamentary delegation from Zambia and started Question Hour. The speaker objected to the noisy scenes and asked the members not to make unsubstantiated claims. He said Question Hour was an important part of Parliamentary proceedings and should not be disrupted. As the slogan shouting continued, the Speaker adjourned proceedings till 2 pm.
A united opposition on Thursday forced an adjournment of proceedings in the pre-lunch session in the Rajya Sabha as they sought to raise allegations of fraud against the Adani group.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected notices under rule 267 seeking to set aside the business of the day to discuss the listed issue. Unhappy with the ruling, MPs from the Congress and other opposition parties protested, forcing adjournment of the proceedings till 2 pm.
Leaders of like-minded parties met in the chamber of the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, 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, DMK, TMC, SP, JD(U), Shiv Sena, CPI(M), CPI, NCP, IUML, NC, AAP, and the Kerala Congress were present at the meeting. Kharge said the like-minded parties would cooperate better during the session to unitedly raise issues of public importance.
The opposition parties are seeking to raise the Adani issue, Chinese transgressions at the border and role of Governors in states, and demand a discussion.
The first part of the Budget Session will take up the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, and then on the Union Budget 2023-24 which was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, several opposition leaders have given adjournment notices in both Houses to raise the Adani Group issue in the wake of the Hindenburg report.
While Kharge has given the notice in Rajya Sabha, the Congress hit on the issue in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore has given the adjournment notice in Lok Sabha to discuss the Adani issue. AAP member Sanjay Singh and BRS MP K Keshava Rao have given the adjournment notices in the Rajya Sabha, demanding an immediate discussion on this issue.
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 notice under Rule 267 (suspension of business) to discuss the Hindenburg report against Adani Enterprises, Rao said the report exposes the dangers to which the Indian people and economy are subjected and merit immediate discussion, adjourning the other business.
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Thursday amid noisy scenes in the House with opposition members raising various issues.
What is the Adani Scam?
Hindenburg Research, the financial research firm with a track record of sending the stock prices of its targets tumbling, is taking on one of the world’s richest men.
Hindenburg accused Indian conglomerate Adani Group of “a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme.” It cited two years of research, including talks with former Adani senior executives and reviews of thousands of documents. Hindenburg’s scorching allegations have caused the fortune of Adani Group’s founder, Gautam Adani, to slide by more than $34 billion in just a week, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires index.
Shell companies created by the Adani Group would cause millions to lose their money. Gautam Adani’s fortunes have fallen by more than $34 billion in just a week falling from the richest man in Asia and in India too.
