Rahul Gandhi links Parliament scuffle to Adani indictment: ‘New distraction’
The BJP on Thursday alleged that Rahul Gandhi pushed and injured its MP Pratap Sarangi outside.
The Parliament during competing protests by the opposition and the ruling party over “insults to BR Ambedkar”. The Congress alleged that BJP MPs pushed Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge. Both sides have filed police complaints regarding the scuffle.
“They have started a new distraction. All MPs were going to the Parliament House peacefully. The BJP MPs were standing in front of us on the stairs of the Parliament House… they blocked our way… this is a new way of creating a distraction. The main issue they are trying to hide is that there is a case against Narendra Modi’s friend Adani in the United States… he has been indicted there, and Modi is selling India to Adani… this is the main issue and the BJP doesn’t want a discussion on this,” Rahul Gandhi said at a press conference in the national capital.
Referring to Amit Shah’s remark in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi called the BJP “anti-Ambedkar”. “We have been saying from the beginning that the thinking of the BJP and the RSS is anti-Constitution, anti-Ambedkar,” he added.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the BJP’s mindset.
“What happened today… We never intended to disturb the proceedings of both the Houses. We protested every day for 14 days, and the main topic was the Adani issue. But during the debate on 75 years of adoption of the Constitution, Amit Shah out of nowhere insulted Dr BR Ambedkar. He said ‘if you (opposition) had taken the name of God so many times instead of Ambedkar, you would have got heaven for seven lives’. If this is the mindset of a political party or a leader, then it is condemnable,” he said.
BJP MP Pratap Sarangi sustained an injury to his head and was hospitalised.
What are the charges against the Adani Group?
On November 20, 2024, the United States Department of Justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued an indictment and a civil complaint, respectively, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, against chairman Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani and an official.
Gautam Adani has been charged with involvement in a plan to allegedly pay more than $250 million in bribes to Indian government officials for solar energy project contracts. Adani and his executives have also been accused of making false and misleading statements to investors and lenders in the United States regarding the company’s anti-bribery commitments.
The business conglomerate called the allegations “baseless”.
“The allegations made by the US Department of Justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission against directors of Adani Green are baseless and denied,” the group said in a statement. Over the past few years, Rahul Gandhi has constantly linked the Adani Group with the Narendra Modi government and accused the two sides of indulging in crony capitalism.