RS proceedings adjourned till 27 Nov amid Oppn bid to raise Adani bribery issue

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Monday, 25 November, as opposition parties led by the Congress tried to raise the issue of the indictment of Adani group founder chairman Gautam Adani and others in a US court on charges of paying bribes to secure solar power supply contracts.

The House will meet again on Wednesday (27 November). There will be no sitting of Parliament on Tuesday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Constituent Assembly's adoption of the Constitution in 1949.

Shortly after the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day, the Congress on Monday said the government was "scared" of the Adani issue and did not want to discuss it while the INDIA bloc parties were seeking a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation into the "scam".

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The Modani issue rocked both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha today. INDIA parties called for a Joint Parliamentary Committee investigation into the Modani scam -- the case for which has been reinforced by the recent indictments of Adani's bribery and suppression of information from Indian and American regulators."

Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K.C. Venugopal alleged that the government was "scared" of discussing the Adani issue.

"They don't even want to hear one word from the opposition on this issue. We moved adjournment motions… within a second they adjourned the House because they are totally scared of facing the issue," Venugopal said.

With billionaire Gautam Adani charged in the US with alleged bribery and fraud, the Congress has said it "vindicates" its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee investigation into the various "scams" involving his conglomerate.

Earlier, chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar disallowed 13 notices served under rule 267, including seven that sought a discussion on the US indictment on the alleged payment of $265 million in bribes. But the Congress and Left parties insisted on a discussion, forcing a 15-minute adjournment of proceedings.

Soon after listed papers were laid on the table of the House and obituary references read out on the death of former MPs, Dhankhar said he had received 13 notices under rule 267 but was not convinced to accept them.

Leader of the Opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who was among the seven that sought a discussion on the Adani bribery issue, said if the listed business is suspended, the opposition parties can explain how the "very important" issue was impacting the entire country.

The image of the country has been tarnished globally and yet Prime Minister Narendra Modi was supporting Adani, he alleged.

At this point, Dhankhar ordered that nothing that Kharge says will go on record.

But as the opposition parties persisted, he adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes.

When the House re-assembled at 11.45 am, the chairman said he has the highest respect for the members of the House and urged them to allow him to continue with the scheduled business.

However, some opposition members were heard raising certain matters.

The chairman then adjourned the proceedings of the House for the day.

The other notices under rule 267, which calls for suspending the listed business of the House to take up discussion on the issue being sought to be raised, pertained to continued violence in Manipur, violent clashes in UP's Sambhal district and special assistance to the flood-hit Wayanad district of Kerala.

The Adani group has denied all charges in the US indictment, calling them baseless.