Congress leader Rahul Gandhi targets Ghulam, Scindia, Anil Antony over Adani issue

NEW DELHI: A day after NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that there is “no need” for a JPC probe into the findings of the Hindenburg report, a tool Congress and its ally have been using to attack the ruling BJP, party leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that he will not give up the Adani issue.

“They hide the truth, that’s why they mislead every day! The question remains the same - who has Rs 20,000 crore benami money in Adani’s companies?” Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi. The Congress leader, in his tweet, also took a dig at former Congress leaders, who have jumped ship to the Bharatiya Janata Party or have snapped decades-old ties with the grand old party like Ghulam Nabi Azad and former Defence Minister AK Antony’s son Anil Antony.

However, Anil Antony, who joined BJP on Thursday, hit back at the former Congress president and said that the “so called” PM candidate of the Congress speaks like a social media cell troll.

“Sri. @RahulGandhi- This is sad to see a former President of a national party - the so called PM candidate of the @INCIndia speak like an online / social media cell troll and not like a national leader. Very humbled to see my fledgling name also with these tall stalwarts who have contributed decades for nation building work - and had to leave the party as they preferred to work for India and our people and not for a family,” Antony said in a tweet.

Anil Antony joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi on Thursday. Rahul Gandhi’s stinging remarks came after senior opposition leader Sharad Pawar said that there is “no need” for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani issue since the Supreme Court-appointed committee is examining the relevant issues and that it seems the Adani group was “targeted” in the Hindenburg Research report.

“....Someone gave a statement, and it created uproar in the country. Such statements were given earlier too, which created ruckus. But the importance given to the issue this time was out of proportion. There was a need to think who raised the issue (gave report). We had not heard the name who gave the statement. What is the background?. When such issues are raised, they create uproar in the country, the cost is borne ....how it impacts the economy. We can’t ignore such things, and it seems (it) was targeted,” Pawar told NDTV in an interview.

NCP chief’s remarks are at variance with those of Congress which has insisted on a JPC probe into the Hindenburg-Adani row. Some other opposition parties have also supported the demand for a JPC probe.

Pawar, a former union minister, said a demand was raised for a probe into Adani issue and the Supreme Court took the initiative and appointed a committee which has retired a SC judge, experts, administrators and economists.

He said the committee has been given guidelines, a timeframe and asked to submit the probe report.

He said the Opposition wanted a Parliamentary Committee to probe the matter and added that BJP has a majority in Parliament.

“Today, who has the majority in Parliament, the ruling party. The demand was against the ruling party. The committee to probe against the ruling party will have majority members from the ruling party. How will the truth come out, there can be apprehensions. If Supreme Court investigates the matter, where there is no influence, there is a better chance of the truth coming out. And once the SC announced a committee for probing the matter, there was no need of JPC (probe),” he said.

Notably, the second half of the budget session saw continuous disruptions over JPC demand for a probe into the Hindenburg-Adani row. The Supreme Court had last month set up a six-member expert committee “to investigate if there was a regulatory failure in dealing with the alleged contravention of laws pertaining to the securities market in relation to the Adani Group or other companies”. The committee was asked to give the report in two months. (ANI)