Government does not want debate on Adani issue: Opposition MPs

PTI New Delhi: The government does not want a public debate on the Adani issue, Opposition leaders said on Monday as both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day amid demand for the suspension of business to take up the matter for discussion. On Monday, leaders from several Opposition parties gave adjournment notices for discussion on the issue of the indictment of Adani group founder chairman Gautam Adani and others in a US court on bribery charges. The Chair in both Houses of Parliament refused permission for the debate and adjourned proceedings for the day.

“Yesterday, at the allparty meeting, the whole of the opposition proposed to take up a discussion on the bribe allegations against the Adani group. The charge is on Adani, but the BJP is feeling the pain,” Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari said. “Most parties had given notices to discuss the issue, the leader of the opposition objected that such an important issue was not being taken up. As a result, the House was adjourned till Wednesday,” the Congress MP said. “I do not understand, instead of adjourning the House, they could have discussed it.

It shows that the government does not want to allow any public debate on the Adani issue. We are not raising this issue, the issue has been raised by the Department of Justice (US). It shows there is something wrong,” he told PTI. Another Rajya Sabha MP of the Congress, Ranjeet Ranjan said it is the government’s responsibility to ensure the functioning of the House. “It is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the House runs. A warrant has been issued on the Adani group, is it wrong to demand a JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee) on the issue? We are not making any allegation, but is it wrong to take up a debate on the issue,” Ranjan asked.

“There are several important issues like pollution which cannot be discussed as the House has been adjourned for the whole day,” she told PTI. Lok Sabha MP from the Congress KC Venugopal said, “They are very much scared of discussing the Adani issue. They are not even ready to hear one word from the opposition on the issue.” “Within a second, they adjourned the House. They are scared of this issue being raised,” he said, adding that the opposition will continue its agitation.

Congress MP Shahi Tharoor said both sides need to cooperate to ensure that the House functions. “All opposition parties wanted to debate the issue, but the government was not ready. It should be discussed in the Business Advisory Comitee.,” the Lok Sabha member from Thiruvananthapuram said.