Congress leaders and employees took to the streets on Monday to stage nationwide protest and demand an “impartial probe” as opposition parties continue to voice their concerns in Parliament about financial fraud allegations against the Adani Group, which have caused the Gautam Adani-led conglomerate to lose tens of billions in market value.
Protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government were spotted in front of Life Insurance Corporation and State Bank of India headquarters across the country, with protesters clashing with local police in some cases, according to news agency ANI.
The following are the key points from Congress’ nationwide protest in the Adani-Hindenburg dispute:
1. The Congress says it is protesting to draw attention to concerns that investments in the Adani group by government-run banking firms such as the SBI and LIC risk lakhs of Indians’ wealth. “The administration is hell-bent on assisting Modiji’s buddies in looting public money… We also want a JPC (joint parliament committee) probe or a chief justice-led inquiry into the huge Adani scam,” the party said in a statement announcing the rallies.
2. Online videos showed protestors waving placards and climbing over police barricades in several parts of the country. As protests erupted in the streets, both houses of Parliament were forced to adjourn for the time being. Even after this, opposition parties protested near the Gandhi statue on Parliament grounds, demanding a JPC or Supreme Court-monitored investigation.
3. The Congress uploaded videos that showed protestors screaming shouts like ‘Narendra Modi chuppi todo’ as the party continues to challenge the PM’s ‘eloquent’ silence on what it is now dubbing the ‘Adani MahaMegaScam’. The party also announced the launch of a ‘HAHK – Hum Adanike Hain Kaun series,’ in which it will put three questions to the administration daily.
4. Opposition leaders have also asked why the government is “protecting” Gautam Adani. Congress leader KC Venugopal said that claims made by Hindenburg Research, a short-seller located in the United States, had ‘exposed’ the administration. “… for the third day in a row, the Opposition is not even permitted to mention in Parliament its valid demand for JPC into PM-linked Adani MahaMegaScam,” his colleague Jairam Ramesh tweeted. Manoj Jha, the head of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, accused the administration of ‘covering up’ the matter.
5. Earlier in the day, numerous opposition parties met in Mallikarjun Kharge’s Parliament chambers; Kharge is the Congress president and the Rajya Sabha’s Leader of the Opposition.
