Sharad Pawar, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, has stated that he thinks the Gautam Adani Group is being “targeted” amid the opposition’s attempt to unite over the subject of corruption against the Narendra Modi government.
In an interview with NDTV on Friday, a channel in which Adani owns a majority stake, Pawar dissociated himself from the Congress-aligned party’s call for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation into the short-selling firm Hindenburg’s report on the Adani Group and said he disagreed with the Congress-led Opposition’s stalling of Parliament over the issue.
“Similar sentiments were made earlier by other people as well, and Parliament was in uproar for a few days. But this time, the problem received excessive attention. We were unfamiliar with the topics discussed, the individuals who brought them up, and the background of these speakers (Hindenburg). The expense is borne by the nation’s economy when they raise problems that spark a nationwide uproar. We cannot ignore these issues.
It appears that this was intentional,” Pawar told NDTV.”It appears that a certain industrial sector of the nation was targeted. “If they have done anything improper, there should be an investigation,” Pawar remarked, adding that he disagreed with the “Adani-Ambani” method of going after major corporations.
The NCP chairman reiterated that he saw no justification for a JPC investigation after the Supreme Court established one, except from the fact that “someone would have wanted the situation to fester for two-four months.
“Congressman Jairam Ramesh responded to Pawar’s comments by saying: “The NCP may have its opinions, but 19 like-minded Opposition parties are certain that the PM-linked Adani Group issue is real and very serious. Nonetheless, the NCP and the other 20 like-minded opposition parties are united and determined to work as a team to defeat the BJP’s divisive and destructive political, social, and economic agenda in order to defend the Constitution and our democracy from its assaults.
Even the opposition, including the NCP, banded together to bring up the Adani issue during the most recent budget session of Parliament, which was postponed.