Parliament Budget Session: Kharge calls Opposition meeting to chalk out strategy, amid row over Adani stocks

New Delhi [India], February 3 (ANI): Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has called a meeting of Opposition MPS at 10 am on Friday at his parliament office to chalk out the strategy for the floor of the House during the ongoing budget session. “Floor leaders of Opposition parties will be meeting at 10 am in chamber of LoP @kharge -ji in Parliament House to coordinate strategy. The demand remains the same. Only an independent investigation will save LIC, SBI and other institutions FORCED by PM to invest in the Adani Group,” Jairam Ramesh tweeted.

This comes after the Opposition attempted to corner the government on Thursdayon the row over Hindenburg-Adani and have demanded a probe into the matter. Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned soon after they commenced at 11 am and then at 2 pm. Opposition leaders had given notices of suspension of Business in both Houses to discuss the Adani issue, however, they alleged later in the day that their notices were rejected, further calling the move “against democracy”.

The Opposition leaders held a joint press conference at Vijay Chowk yesterday to target the government over the ongoing Adani row. Mallikarjun Kharge led the charge followed by other Opposition leaders. Kharge demanded an investigation into the matter under the supervision of CJI or the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee.

“Either a Joint Parliamentary Committee or a team under the supervision of the CJI of the Supreme Court should investigate this,” Kharge said.
Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh thrashed the Centre describing Gautam Adani as the “closest friend” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Why is the Modi government silent on such a huge scam? The government is silent because the man who is indulged in this scam is the closest friend of PM Modi. Adani opens fake companies in foreign countries, buys shares worth crores of rupees of his own company and takes loans worth lakhs and crores from banks. All those who invested money in Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and SBI for their needs are worried. This is the Maha ghotala (scam) in Amrit Kaal,” he said.

Singh demanded the government to hold a discussion on the issue in the House.
“…and conduct a Supreme Court-monitored probe and constitute a JPC. We will keep raising our voices in Parliament,” he said. Trinamool Congress MP Santanu Sen hit out at the Chairman of the House and said that the repeated rejection of suspension of Business notices under Rule 267 is “against democracy”.
“The way notices under Rule 267 are being rejected is against democracy. TMC demands a proper inquiry into the matter so that the truth can come to the fore,” he said.

The leaders who gave the notice in their respective Houses include Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, CPI(M) leader in Rajya Sabha MP Elamaram Kareem, Shiv Sena MP (Uddhav Thackeray faction) Priyanka Chaturvedi, CPI Rajya Sabha MP Binoy Viswam, Bharat Rashtra Samithi Lok Sabha MP Nama Nageswara Rao, BRS Rajya Sabha MP K Keshava Rao, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh among others.
The first part of the session will conclude on February 13. Parliament will reconvene on March 12 for the second part of the Budget Session, which will conclude on April 6.