The BJP on Thursday launched a coordinated attack on the leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of conspiring with foreign forces to destabilise the Narendra Modi government, on a day the Congress had planned to target the Centre over the Adani and Sambhal issues.

This led to chaos and repeated adjournments in both Houses of Parliament.

Congress members arrived at Parliament wearing jackets with stickers that read “Modi Adani Ek Hai; Adani Safe Hai”. Rahul, too, wore a sticker on the back of his signature white tee. The Opposition raised slogans outside Parliament, demanding a joint parliamentary committee investigation into the bribery allegations against the Adani group in the US.

Sensing that Rahul would raise the Adani issue in the Lok Sabha while speaking on the Sambhal violence, the BJP devised a countermeasure.

Rahul and his sister, newly elected Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, had
been barred from visiting Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

Trouble started during Zero Hour when Speaker Om Birla called BJP MP Nishikant Dubey first, promising that the leader of the Opposition would be allowed to raise the Sambhal issue after him. Amid protests by Congress members, Dubey accused the Opposition of conspiring with foreign forces to derail the Modi government.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attaches a sticker reading 'Modi Adani Ek Hai; Adani Safe Hai' on Rahul Gandhi's tee during a protest by Opposition MPs on the Parliament premises on Thursday. PTI

Dubey alleged a nexus between Opposition leaders and the foreign news portal Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and US-based billionaire philanthropist George Soros to “derail” the progress of India under Modi.

“George Soros routinely conspires to derail economies of other countries…. Today, he wants to derail the Indian economy,” Dubey said, triggering vociferous protests by Congress members. The uproar led to the repeated adjournments of the proceedings that did not allow Rahul to speak in the House.

A similar strategy was deployed in the Rajya Sabha.

During Zero Hour at 11am, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi demanded a discussion on “interference” by foreign agencies in elections and the parliamentary processes in India. He said the OCCRP
had been releasing reports related to India around the time of Parliament sessions and elections.

“The OCCRP has got funding from foreign agencies and has connections with George Soros,” Trivedi said. The Opposition parties protested but Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar allowed Trivedi to continue and then adjourned the House till noon.

Outside Parliament, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra was deployed for a media address at the party headquarters.

George Soros File picture

“George Soros and Rahul Gandhi are one,” Patra said, stressing that he had no hesitation in calling the leader of the Opposition “a traitor”.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore wrote a letter to Speaker Birla demanding action against Puri MP Patra.

“Sambit Patra used highly slanderous language against the leader of the Opposition…. Such behaviour not only tarnishes the image of the esteemed Parliament but also insults the dignity of a
high constitutional office,” Tagore wrote, demanding “immediate and stringent action” against Patra.

The Congress also accused Dubey of “defaming the LoP” and called on Birla and staged a protest at the gates of Parliament demanding an apology from him.

“When the entire Opposition was protesting against the LoP being prevented from travelling to Sambhal, the Speaker allowed Dubey to speak during Zero Hour and he used the most defamatory language against the LoP and the entire Congress party,” Congress general secretary in charge of organisation, K.C. Venugopal, told reporters outside the House.

“The agents of Adani started to abuse Rahul Gandhi when he stood up against the corruption of Adani. Come what may, Rahul Gandhi would keep raising these allegations,” Venugopal added.

Rahul and Priyanka participated in the Congress protest over the Adani issue on the Parliament premises.

“The Prime Minister cannot investigate Adani because it would be like investigating himself,” Rahul said.

“Why is the PM silent when the world is questioning Adani?” Priyanka asked.