From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Both the Houses of Parliament were adjourned till 2 PM on Thursday the first working day of the budget session as the Opposition created ruckus demanding a probe on the New York-based Hindenburg report on the Gautam Adani group of companies engaging in fraudulent transactions and share price manipulation.
In the Lok Sabha, the Opposition members rushed to the Well raising slogans as soon as Speaker Om Birla welcomed a Parliamentary delegation from Zambia and started Question Hour. Birla objected to the noisy scenes and asked the members not to make any claims. Sloganeering forced him to adjourn till 2 PM.
In the Rajya Sabha, Congress President and Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge said all opposition parties have sought a joint parliamentary committee or Supreme Court-monitored probe into allegations againt the conglomerate.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh sought seizure of the passport of Adani, lest he runs away from India like so many friends of Prime Minister Modi. He said the investors have already lost 4.5 lakh crore. He said the PM will have to explain why the State Bank of India liberally gave loans to Adani’s companies.
The opposition leaders met in the Parliament complex ahead of the session to evolve a joint strategy on the Adani issue. 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.
Several opposition leaders, including Kharge, had given the adjournment notices in both the Houses. Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar rejected the notices. Unhappy with the ruling, MPs from the Congress and other opposition parties protested, forcing adjournment of the proceedings till 2 pm.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted that the government did not agree to the combined Opposition demand for “an investigation into forced investments by LIC, SBI & other public institutions that have lost huge value in recent days.
Meanwhile, Adani Enterprises on Wednesday called off the fully subscribed Rs 20,000-crore follow-on public offer (FPO). Clarifying the decision in a video shared on Thursday, Gautam Adani said it would not be “morally correct” to go ahead with the Rs 20,000-crore share in the current market condition. This comes as the shares of Adani Group firms slumped on Wednesday, losing more than Rs 7 lakh crore of their combined market capitalisation in the last five trading sessions.
