Opposition leaders stage protest in Parliament, demand JPC on Adani issue

New Delhi: Several opposition parties on Thursday staged a protest march inside Parliament complex in support of their demand for a joint parliament committee investigation into the Adani group issue and said they would continue to raise their voice in this regard.

Leaders of various opposition parties gathered at the Parliament house gate number 1, the main entry gate into Parliament House building, and raised slogans against the government and called for a JPC probe.

Holding placards and banners, opposition MPs raised slogans and demanded that a JPC probe be initiated into the Adani issue.

Joined by top party leaders of various parties and led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the opposition MPs then staged a protest march from Parliament gate to Ambedkar statue inside Parliament complex, where they again raised slogans and asked why the government was running away from ordering a JPC probe into the Adani issue.

Kharge thanked the leaders of various parties for extending support to the protest march and said they would continue with their protest till their demand was met.

Both houses of Parliament have failed to transact any significant business for the last two weeks since it met for the second leg of the budget session on March 13.

While the opposition is raising the pitch over the demand for a JPC into the Adani issue, the BJP has raised the heat on Rahul Gandhi over his 'democracy under threat' remarks made in London recently and have demanded his apology, alleging he has defamed and insulted India and its institutions and has sought foreign intervention.

"We are raising the demand for a JPC on the Adani issue. But the Government of India is not ready to accept the simple JPC demand," Kharge said at the protest, adding that a JPC would have more members from the ruling party than the opposition parties and they should have no objection to it.

He also alleged that the BJP does not want the Parliament records to reflect anything on the Adani issue. "They do not want any record on Adani issue. They don't want transparency and that is why they want to finish democratic institutions and also the Constitution. Therefore, we are continuing with our agitation," he said.

"Today also we are continuing, tomorrow also we will continue and on Monday also we will continue. As long as they do not agree to our demand, we will continue with our agitation," the Congress president said, thanking the party leaders for joining in the protest.

He said we have protested before Babasaheb Ambedkar's statue because we want to save the Constitution written by him.

Earlier, several opposition leaders held a meeting in Kharge's chamber in the morning and decided to stage a protest in Parliament house.

Opposition leaders also met Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and attended a meeting of floor leaders of various parties convened by him to help break the logjam in the upper house. The meeting, the sources, said remained inconclusive as opposition leaders raised their demand for a JPC and said that there was no question of going back on their demand.

The US-based Hindenburg Research in a report has accused the Adani group of financial irregularities and stock manipulation. The Adani group has denied the allegations and said no wrongdoing has been done by it.

Inputs from PTI