NEW DELHI: The four-week Winter Session of Parliament began on Monday but was embroiled in early disruptions, leading to the adjournment of both Houses till Wednesday. The Opposition tried to corner the government on the issue of corruption allegations against the Adani Group and demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe.
Several opposition MPs had given adjournment notices in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seeking suspension of the day’s listed business to discuss the issue of the indictment of Adani group head Gautam Adani and others in a US court on charges of paying bribes to secure solar power supply contracts. But the notices were disallowed by the Chair, drawing protests from the Opposition benches.
Outside Parliament, the Opposition INDIA bloc alleged that the government was “’scared” of a discussion on the issue and sought a JPC probe into the “scam”.
They questioned why Parliament was adjourned for the day without transacting any business, after which Lok Sabha officials said it was a convention to adjourn the proceedings of the House for a short duration immediately after making an obituary reference to a sitting member.
Congress leader Vasant Chavan from Nanded in Maharashtra and Trinamool Congress leader S K Nurul Islam from Basirhat in West Bengal -— both members of the current Lok Sabha — died between two sessions of Parliament.
There will be no sittings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Tuesday to mark the 75th anniversary of the country’s Constitution. Both Houses will meet again on Wednesday.
President Droupadi Murmu will lead the celebrations at the Central Hall of the old Parliament complex on November 26 to mark the occasion. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Speaker Om Birla will also speak, the government said.
The monsoon session of Parliament was hit by Opposition protests demanding a JPC probe into US-based Hindenburg Research’s allegations of financial irregularities and stock manipulation by the Adani Group.
The Adani Group has denied allegations of irregularities in both matters.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed dismay over the Chair in both Houses of Parliament disallowing the Opposition to raise the Adani issue under Rule 267 and said the government should “let the truth come out” as the matter is affecting the country’s image.
Under Rule 267, the listed business for the day can be suspended to debate an urgent matter with the Chair’s approval. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar disallowed 13 notices served under Rule 267, including seven that sought a discussion on the US indictment on the alleged payment of $265 million in bribes. Similar notices were rejected in Lok Sabha also.
Kharge also attacked PM Modi, accusing him of spoiling the country’s image by “helping” some key businessmen get contracts abroad, and demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the allegations against the Adani Group.
“Rule 267 is made only to raise such important issues. Else, that rule should not have been there. We want to be allowed to raise this issue under this rule.
“We want a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to be set up, in which there will be more people from his party (BJP) and all get an opportunity to be represented. Form a JPC, let the truth come out,” Kharge said in a video message shared on X.
During a meeting of the business advisory committee of the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla asked political parties to avoid a ruckus in the House in the name of protests. He also flagged the issue of disruptions and urged Opposition leaders to convey their dissent constructively.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned without transacting any significant business amid an uproar by Opposition members on various issues.
Soon after the Lok Sabha met for the day, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi sought to raise the Sambhal firing issue in Uttar Pradesh, but Speaker Om Birla read out obituary references and adjourned the House.
As soon as the House reconvened at noon, Opposition members were also heard demanding a probe into the allegations levelled against a prominent businessman in a US court.
BJP member Sandhya Ray, who was in the chair, asked if the members were not keen to allow proceedings in the House. She adjourned the proceedings of the House till Wednesday.
The BJP slammed Opposition parties and said it was not right on their part to stall Parliament proceedings in “retaliation” to their defeat in Maharashtra Assembly elections and bypolls in other states.
Opposition leaders, however, alleged that the government was running away from a public debate on the Adani issue.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “The Modani issue rocked both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha today. INDIA parties called for a Joint Parliamentary Committee investigation into the Modani scam — the case for which has been reinforced by the recent indictments of Adani’s bribery and suppression of information from Indian and American regulators.”
The BJP- -led NDA government is upbeat following the Mahayuti alliance’s great show in Maharashtra assembly poll results. The government will be looking to push through the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which is under the consideration of a Joint Committee of Parliament. Besides that, it has listed 16 more Bills for the Winter Session.
The session, which is scheduled to run until December 20, is expected to be contentious, with the Opposition planning to challenge the Union government on multiple fronts.
In a bid to strategize a unified front, leaders of the INDIA bloc gathered at the office of Congress MP and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge. Later, in a post on micro-blogging platform ‘X’, he called for a thorough discussion on the Adani controversy, stressing that the integrity of retail investors’ hard-earned money is at stake.
“This is what the INDIA bloc parties demand today, for the hard-earned investments of crores of retail investors are at stake,” Kharge stated. He further criticized the notion of monopolies, advocating for a market-driven competition that promotes equal opportunities and equitable wealth distribution in India.
As demands of the Opposition on discussions around the Adani Group’s alleged bribery charges intensify, the government has indicated that the business advisory committees of both Houses will determine the agenda for discussions and has urged all parties to maintain decorum to facilitate smooth proceedings.