Hindenburg-Adani row: Industrialist Gautam Adani on Thursday (April 20) morning met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar at the latter’s residence, Silver Oak, in South Mumbai. The crucial meeting comes at a time when the Opposition is demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani-Hindenburg issue.
The meeting which lasted for nearly two hours, as per the news agency PTI sources, comes days after Pawar caused a stir in Opposition after he ruled out the formation of JPC for the probe into the Adani issue and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored panel.
Mahua Moitra targets Pawar for meeting Adani
TMC MP Mahua Moitra took a swipe at Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar over his meeting with industrialist Gautam Adani. Sharing a report about their meeting on Twitter, she said, "Adani hamaam mein to saare hi nange hai. I have no fear in taking on Great Marathas. Can only hope they have good sense to put country before old relationships. And no, my tweet is not anti-opposition unity. Rather it is pro-public interest."
Sharad Pawar rules out JPC probe for Adani issue
Earlier this month on April 8, the NCP chief Pawar had come out in support of the Adani group and criticised the narrative around the US short-seller Hindenburg Research's report on the conglomerate. He ruled out the formation of JPC for the probe into the Adani issue and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored panel.
The Adani issue in actuality has become a weapon for the opposition to attack the government in the centre. Many times, during the Parliament Budget Session, speakers of both the houses; Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha ordered to adjourn of the hearings due to the ruckus and din by the opposition who were demanding Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue.
Taking a position at variance from senior ally Congress, Pawar had said he favoured a Supreme Court committee to probe allegations against the Adani group since the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would have a majority in the JPC based on numerical strength in Parliament and this would lead to doubts on such a probe.
Pawar claimed that his party supported the JPC but he feels the JPC will be dominated by the ruling party so he believes that the Supreme Court-monitored panel is a better way to bring out the truth. "My party has supported the JPC but I feel that the JPC will be dominated by the ruling party thus the truth will not come out...so I feel that SC monitored panel is a better way to bring out the truth," said Pawar.
The NCP supremo had later said although his outfit does not agree with the demand of anti-BJP parties for a JPC probe into allegations against the Adani group, it will not go against their stand for the sake of Opposition unity.
Supreme Court on Hindenburg Research
The Supreme Court had last month ordered the setting up of a six-member committee headed by former apex court judge A M Sapre to look into various regulatory aspects for stock markets, including the recent Adani Group shares crash triggered by the Hindenburg Research's fraud allegations.
The Hindenburg Research has made a litany of allegations, including fraudulent transactions and share-price manipulation, against the business conglomerate. The Adani group has dismissed the charges as lies, saying it complies with all laws and disclosure requirements.
(With PTI inputs)
