New Delhi: After NCP supremo Sharad Pawar said that the Adani group was targeted by US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research, the Congress on Friday said its ally NCP may have its own view, but 19 like-minded opposition parties believe The group against the allegations are genuine and very serious. The Congress also said that all 20 like-minded opposition parties, including the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), are united and will come together to save the Constitution and democracy from the “attacks of the BJP”.
Sharad Pawar spoke on the Adani controversy
In an interview with NDTV, Pawar came out in support of the Adani group and criticized the narrative surrounding the Hindenburg Research report on the group. “Such statements were made earlier also by other persons and there was uproar in Parliament for a few days but this time more importance was given to the issue.
He said, “We have never heard about the issues raised, who raised them, those who gave these statements, what is the background. Can’t ignore these things. It looks like it was targeted,” Pawar said. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief said, “It seems that an individual industrial group in the country has been targeted. If they have done anything wrong, there should be an inquiry.”
Congress reaction on Pawar’s stand
Responding to the remarks in a statement, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the NCP may have its own views, but 19 like-minded opposition parties are convinced that the “Adani Group issue involving the PM” is real and very serious. “But all 20 like-minded opposition parties, including the NCP, are united and will be united in defending the Constitution and our democracy from attacks by the BJP and defeating the divisive and destructive political, social and economic agenda of the BJP,” Ramesh said.
Pawar’s remarks are a dissenting note from other allies at a time when unity among opposition parties seems to have strengthened after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was convicted by a Surat court for two years in a 2019 defamation case. , Several opposition parties, led by the Congress, protested in the second half of the budget session of Parliament, demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani case.
Congress and Adani row
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also been aggressively targeting the government over the Adani issue. Earlier, there were differences between the Congress and the TMC on the Adani issue, with the former party demanding a JPC probe and the Mamata Banerjee-led outfit demanding a Supreme Court-monitored probe. Uddhav Thackeray-led Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena are in an alliance in Maharashtra called Maha Vikas Aghadi.
Hindenburg Research has made several allegations against the Adani group, including fraudulent transactions and share-price manipulation. The Gautam Adani-led group has dismissed the allegations as false, adding that it complies with all laws and disclosure requirements.