Congress says won't stop questioning govt on Adani, wonders if Lalit Modi is being tutored

Representative picture. File/PTI

The Congress party on Friday said it will continue to raise the Adani issue and the government will have to respond to its questions someday, even as it wondered the real reason behind embattled IPL founder Lalit Modi's recent Twitter outbursts.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Ranjeet Ranjan targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party over Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as a Lok Sabha member following his conviction by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case.

The Congress and opposition parties won't keep quiet and instead demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani matter whether Gandhi is in Parliament or not, Ranjan said.

"Congress will not remain silent or be scared. We will not let BJP's intention be successful. Because this is not an issue of any party but an issue concerning India's democracy," the Rajya Sabha MP said.

The Congress has been demanding a JPC probe after US short-seller Hindenberg Research in January accused the Adani Group firms of "brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud" and using a number of offshore shell companies to inflate stock prices. The Adani Group has rejected the charges.

"We will continuously ask questions about the Adani scam, whether you keep Rahul Gandhi out of Parliament or inside. Congress and opposition will constantly raise the issue of Adani and question about inflation and unemployment," Ranjan said.

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She said the entire Opposition will also demand to know how "Rs 20,000 crore went into the shell companies owned by Adani". She said, "Someday, BJP will have to answer these questions."

The Congress leader said just 9 days after Gandhi's speech in Parliament on "Adani scam", the defamation case against him was revived. She said, "Was it his (Gandhi's) fault that he spoke about the Adani issue in Lok Sabha? What is the prime minister's relationship with Adani?"

To a query on embattled IPL founder Lalit Modi's threat to sue Gandhi, Ranjan wondered he if is being tutored by someone. "Why is he talking about it after so long? Has someone asked him to do so? What is his intention behind talking about it now?" asked Ranjan.

Lalit Modi, accused of financial irregularities in India, launched a scathing attack on Gandhi on Thursday, and also hit out at the Congress for referring to him as a "fugitive of justice" even though he had never been convicted of any charges. He threatened to take Gandhi to court.

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