Adani saga in Lok Sabha: BJP takes exception to Rahul's 'magic' jibe

Leading the Opposition attack over the Adani-Hindenburg issue in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday linked Gautam Adani’s meteoric rise to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s coming to power and said “magic” happened after 2014 that propelled the businessman from the 609th to the second spot on the global rich list. 

Gandhi was participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in Lok Sabha as the first Opposition speaker.

The Congress leader’s remarks drew a sharp response from the treasury benches, with Law Minister Kiren Rijiju asking him not to level “wild allegations” and furnish proof of his claims.

Speaker Om Birla disapproved of the Congress leader displaying pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi, who just completed his over 4,000 km Bharat Jodo Yatra, said people asked him how Adani got into so many businesses and succeeded. 

The treasury benches repeatedly asked Gandhi to authenticate his claims, saying that such allegations cannot be levelled against the prime minister without documentary evidence. Speaker Birla also asked Gandhi to focus on the President's address.

Gandhi said that during the yatra people also asked him how Adani's net worth incre­ased from $8 billion to $140 billion between 2014 and 2022.

Outside Parliament, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad hit out at Rahul Gandhi, saying he has made “baseless, shameless and reckless allegations against PM Modi”. Congress and its leaders were involved in all big scams which tarnished the image of India, he alleged.

Gandhi also raised the issue of the report by US-based Hindenburg Research, saying it alleged that Adani has shell companies abroad. Pointing out that Adani works in strategic sectors, he said the government must find out about these shell companies as to who controls them as this is a national security issue.
 

The Opposition has been demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe or a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the allegations of fraud and manipulation made by Hindenburg Research against Adani's companies that triggered an unprecedented stock crash. The group has denied the charges.

Participating in the debate, Gandhi also questioned the Agniveer scheme for recruiting defence personnel claiming that youths aspiring to be in the army were not on the same page as the government on the scheme. Senior officers have said the scheme will weaken the army, he claimed.