The Opposition parties said on Monday that BJP members were disrupting both Houses of Parliament under instructions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose sole objective was to thwart any investigation into the “biggest-ever scam of independent India”.
The Congress showed no signs of lowering the heat, despite the heightened pressure on Rahul Gandhi through what the party has described as the politics of intimidation and harassment, and all the Opposition parties except Trinamul Congress continued to demand a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Adani affair.
The Samajwadi Party, AAP and K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s BRS stood in solidarity with the Congress even as Mamata Banerjee portrayed Rahul as Modi’s biggest advantage.
What has been a concern for the Modi government is the unity of purpose among the Opposition parties — even those that have serious differences with the Congress — on the demand for the JPC. The Congress too has demonstrated the maturity of delinking electoral strategy from the larger political opposition to the RSS-BJP.
As Parliament could not transact any business on Monday, either, as BJP members created a ruckus demanding an apology from Rahul, who was away in Karnataka, and 16 Opposition parties stuck to their demand for a JPC, Congress deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Pramod Tewari said: “This drama cannot continue without the wishes of the Prime Minister. They know a JPC probe will unravel how the Modi government filled Adani’s coffers. National assets were sold to push Adani from 609th position to the second spot in the global ranking of rich people.”
Tewari not only explained the government’s tactic to escape parliamentary scrutiny, he also mentioned its ploy to silence Rahul in the presence of all Opposition leaders, indicating the solidarity of the entire Opposition on the politics of intimidation. The proposed march to the office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which was foiled by force, also signalled that the Opposition was together on the question of a political witch-hunt.
On Sunday, Delhi police had visited Rahul’s residence to question him about his statement that during the Bharat Jodo Yatra he had met women who said they were victims of sexual exploitation and domestic violence.
The police, who report to the Union home ministry, had gone to the Congress leader’s house even after he had sought 10 days to reply to their notice.
“We all have taken a vow to continue our fight for JPC no matter how ruthlessly the government deploys coercive pressure on us. We are not going to surrender to the use of force and intimidation tactics. The government’s attempt to silence the Opposition is just a trailer of autocracy; the full-fledged consequences will be unveiled in due course,” Tewari said.
The other parties supported the Congress’s position. Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said the real culprits cannot be caught without a JPC probe. The Congress has said the Supreme Court-appointed expert committee does not have the mandate and remit to probe critical aspects of the Adani affair.
“We are seeing for the first time that there is no statement from the government at a time when the public is concerned about such a serious issue. People’s money is being squandered and the government is not bothered,” Yadav said.
BRS leader Keshava Rao said: “We are not satisfied with the Supreme Court probe. Adani has taken over many companies. It is not a simple scam, it is going to affect our economy. It is a political scam. A proper investigation by a JPC is not a favour to the Opposition. And the JPC is the right instrument.”
The DMK’s A. Raja said the Prime Minister should have come to Parliament and answered questions. Many other leaders said a debate in Parliament on the Adani issue, followed by the constitution of a JPC, was the only way to settle the matter.