Proceedings in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned on Monday, the first day of this year’s Winter Session of Parliament, amid protests from Opposition MPs who demanded a discussion on the alleged bribery charges against the Adani Group by United States authorities.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he had received 13 notices from Opposition MPs asking for a discussion about the “alleged corruption, bribery and financial irregularities of the Adani Group”.
“These notices do not conform to the directives imparted by the chair in this behalf,” Dhankhar said, rejecting the notices. “I have not been able to persuade myself to agree to the same.”
Opposition MPs also submitted notices seeking discussions on the ethnic violence in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal, as well as aid for the victims of the Wayanad landslides earlier this year, reported The Indian Express.
Earlier in the day, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said on social media that the Parliament session should commence with a discussion on the Adani controversy, which he said could harm India’s global image.
“This is what the INDIA bloc parties demand today, for the hard-earned investments of crores of retail investors are at stake,” Kharge said. “We do not need monopolies and cartels to run this country. We need healthy market-driven competition in the private sector, which facilitates equal opportunities, employment and equitable distribution of wealth, catering to the inherent entrepreneurial spirit of India.”
In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla read obituary references for five MPs who passed away recently and the House observed a minute’s silence.
Thereafter, the Opposition sought a discussion on Gautam Adani’s indictment in the United States, prompting the House to be adjourned until noon. When the proceedings resumed with BJP MP Sandhya Ray in the chair, the Opposition again rose, prompting the House to be adjourned till 11 am on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his customary remarks accused the Opposition of disrupting Parliament in response to their recent losses in Assembly bye-polls.
“They are unable to achieve their aim by interrupting Parliament’s proceedings,” Modi said. “What is most painful is that new and young members of Parliament who have new ideas and enthusiasm are unable to speak.”
On November 20, the United States authorities announced the indictment of billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani in New York in a multibillion-dollar bribery and fraud scheme related to the conglomerate’s solar projects in India.
A judge has also issued arrest warrants for the founder of the Adani Group and his nephew, Sagar Adani.
Gautam Adani and seven others, including Sagar Adani, agreed to pay over $265 million, or nearly Rs 2,236 crore, in bribes to Indian government officials between 2020 and 2024 to obtain contracts expected to yield a profit of $2 billion, or nearly Rs 16,880 crore, over 20 years, alleged a statement by the US Attorney’s office.
The indictment has triggered uproar in India, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, demanding Gautam Adani’s arrest.