BRS, AAP, UBTSS break ranks with Opposition, continue boycott over Adani issue
NEW DELHI: Cracks began to appear in the Opposition’s ranks on Tuesday when the AAP, BRS and UBTSS refused to toe the line of the other Opposition parties, who took part in the discussion on the motion of thanks on the President’s address.
“Most of the Opposition parties have decided to participate in the parliamentary proceedings from today and continue to raise their demand for a JPC into the PM-linked Adani mega scam”, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet after the meeting.
The Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, RJD, JD(U), AAP, CPI(M), CPI, Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena, Indian Union Muslim League, National Conference, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Kerala Congress and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leaders were among those who attended the meeting.
The Aam Aadmi Party, Bharat Rashtra Samithi and the Udhhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena said no to discussions in Parliament without a debate on the Adani issue.
Both Houses of Parliament saw brief adjournments before the discussion on the motion of thanks to the President’s address could start. The Opposition has been demanding a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe or a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the allegations. The Lok Sabha was on Tuesday adjourned till 12 noon after the Opposition members disrupted the proceedings demanding a JPC probe into the fraud-allegations in the Adani issue.
Soon after the House met, Opposition members, including those from the Congress and BRS, were on their feet seeking to know the status of their demand for a probe into the tanking of the Adani Group shares and sought a probe into the business practices of the corporate giant.
Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon on Tuesday as Opposition parties protested, demanding a discussion in the House on allegations of fraud against the Adani Group. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he had received notices for suspension of the scheduled business by the Congress, CPI(M), AAP, BRS and CPI. However, he did not accept the notices, saying they were not in order. This led to protests by several Opposition MPs.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned briefly when the discussion on the motion of thanks on the presidential address started as the Opposition MPs objected over certain references allegedly made by BJP member C.P. Joshi to the abolished practice of “sati”. He initiated the debate on the motion of thanks on the President's address when he made a reference to Padmavati, Queen of Mewar, who self-immolated to protect her honour from invader Allauddin Khilji.
Several Opposition MPs, including Supriya Sule (NCP), Kanimozhi, Dayanidhi Maran, A. Raja (DMK), K. Muraleedharan (Congress) and Imtiaz Jaleel (AIMIM) were on their feet claiming that Joshi had glorified the practice of “sati”, even as he asserted he had not made any reference to the practice. After a brief adjournment, the House functioned smoothly. On Wednesday too, both Houses are expected to continue with the discussion on the motion of thanks to the President’s address.
