Oppn pushes for debate on Adani issue, Manipur

New Delhi: The Opposition on Sunday asked the Centre to allow discussions in Parliament on the US prosecutors' bribery charges against the Adani Group and violence in Manipur even as Union Minister Kiren Rijiju made it clear that the matters to be taken up in the two Houses will be decided by their authorised committees with the consent of the respective Chairs.

Following the all-party meeting on the eve of Parliament's Winter Session commencing on Monday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju told reporters that the government has appealed to all the parties to ensure smooth conduct of business in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Forty-two leaders from 30 parties attended the meeting which was chaired by senior BJP leader and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

On Congress' demand to hold discussions on the Adani issue on "priority" apart from a host of other matters, including the Manipur unrest, Rijiju said the business advisory committees of the two Houses will take a call on the subjects of parliamentary business with the consent of the Lok Sabha speaker and the Rajya Sabha chairman.

Raising the matter at the meeting, Congress' Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, dubbed the Adani issue as a scam, saying the government should not reject or ignore their demand on any "technicality" as it concerns Indian institutions and investors.

Billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani, whose conglomerate includes a host of companies covering power to ports sectors, has been charged by US prosecutors for allegedly being part of a scheme to pay about Rs 2,200 crore bribe to Indian officials in exchange of favourable terms for solar power contracts in four Indian states.

The Adani Group has denied the charge, saying the allegations levelled by the US prosecutors are baseless and that the conglomerate is compliant with all laws.

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari also said the government should set aside other businesses to take up a discussion on the issue on priority.

It is a grave issue involving the country’s economic and security interests as over Rs 2,300 crore were allegedly paid by the company to politicians and bureaucrats to get favourable deals for its solar energy projects, the Rajya Sabha MP said.

Raising the Manipur violence, Gogoi said the ruling dispensation jailed the Jharkhand chief minister (Hemant Soren) and made changes in Jammu and Kashmir for a variety of reasons, but kept its faith in Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh despite his alleged involvement in violence. The matter must be debated in Parliament, he said.

The Winter Session is scheduled to be held from November 25 to December 20. At the meeting, two BJP allies from Andhra Pradesh -- Telugu Desam Party and Jana Sena Party -- raised the issue of pending implementation of the promises made during the division of the state in 2014 under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, saying Parliament should know their present status. “We want the government to put the status on record,” TDP leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu said, noting that while some promises have been fulfilled and some are being taken up, a few still remain unfulfilled. Jana Sena leader Balashowry Vallabhaneni spoke on similar lines.

The Polavaram irrigation project has come to a standstill, Devarayalu said, adding that the Parliament must also discuss disaster management as so many southern cities are getting affected due to heavy downpour triggered by climate change.