Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka to lead Congress delegation to violence-hit Sambhal in UP today
Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief Ajay Rai announced that newly-elected Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also likely to join the delegation.
Congress MPs, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with members of the INDIA bloc, staged a protest at Parliament premises on Tuesday, demanding an investigation into allegations surrounding the Adani Group.
The members, holding banners and placards that accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of shielding Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, raised slogans against the government and demanded the industrialist’s arrest and a JPC probe into the allegations.
Mr Adani, along with other Adani Group executives, was allegedly indicted in a bribery case by the US last month. While the Adani Group has denied the charges, the Opposition Congress has demanded a thorough probe into the allegations.
LoP Rahul Gandhi said that Mr Adani must be arrested and interrogated as the allegations are serious. He also accused PM Modi of shielding the businessman.
Speaking on the issue, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram emphasised the need for an inquiry into the allegations.
“The allegations are made in another country but pertain to acts that occurred here. Isn’t it incumbent upon us to verify their veracity? This has far-reaching consequences…these allegations might be false but only an investigation can prove it one way or the other,” he stated.
However, the absence of INDIA bloc allies Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Samajwadi Party also raised questions on the Opposition’s unity over the issue.
According to a SP MP, the Adani issue is not as big as Sambhal. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has claimed that ‘Sambhal violence was pre-planned’ in the Lok Sabha. He has alleged that the entire incident of Sambhal was engineered by the BJP.
The TMC has reportedly opted to take an independent stance, distancing itself from the protest amidst growing criticism of the Opposition for repeated adjournments of Parliament during the ongoing Winter Session.
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