Congress alone to seek RS discussion on Adani JPC

The Congress was the only party to demand a discussion in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday on setting up a joint parliamentary committee to probe allegations against the Adani group, while the other Opposition parties gave similar notices on different issues.

Of the total 18 adjournment notices given under Rule 267 in the upper house for suspension of listed business to hold discussions on urgent issues, at least nine were from Congress members on the Adani matter, while others sought discussion on violence in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal.

As Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar announced that he was rejecting all 18 notices, the Opposition protested leading to adjournment of the House proceedings for the day without transacting any business.

The Congress MPs demanded a discussion under Rule 267 for the constitution of a JPC to investigate the alleged misconduct, including corruption, bribery and financial irregularities of the Adani Group in connivance with other authorities.

The Congress members who had given the notices were GC Chandrashekhar, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Syed Naseer Hussain, Neeraj Dangi, Renuka Chowdhury, Rajeev Shukla, Pramod Tiwari, Akhilesh Prasad Singh and Jebi Mather Hisham.

However, Sanjay Singh of Aam Aadmi Party gave a notice for adjourning all other business of the House to discuss the "increasing crimes in Delhi".

Sushmita Dev (Trinamool Congress), Tiruchi Siva (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), Raghav Chadha (AAP) and Sandosh Kumar P (Communist Party of India) had given separate notices under the same rule for discussion on violence in Manipur, while John Brittas (CPI-M), AA Rahim (CPI-M), Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party) and Abdul Wahab (Indian Union Muslim League) gave notices to discuss the recent violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh.

Under Rule 267 of Rajya Sabha, any member may, with the consent of the Chairman, move that any rule may be suspended in its application to a motion related to the business listed before the Council of that day.

If the motion is carried, "the rule in question shall be suspended for the time being: Provided further that this rule shall not apply where specific provision already exists for suspension of a rule under a particular chapter of the Rules".