The Congress party has strongly rejected accusations by the Bharatiya Janata Party of links between the former party president Sonia Gandhi and the businessman George Soros. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra described the accusations as “ridiculous,” saying they were only meant to mislead the electorate.
In a news conference, Ms. Gandhi Vadra said the ruling party was deliberately obstructing Parliament, which had to be adjourned for the day after raucous protests from both sides. “It is the most ridiculous thing they could come up with. They are discussing something from 1994, with no records to support it. The only reason for this distraction is their unwillingness to discuss the Adani issue,” she said.
She went ahead and criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for keeping away from Parliament. “I am new in Parliament, but I have yet to see the Prime Minister. This is very strange.” Mr Modi, it is learnt is to intervene in the Lok Sabha debate on Saturday.
Under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, the Congress has made the Adani issue—specifically, a recent indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice against Adani Green Energy—central to its strategy in this parliamentary session. Mr. Gandhi has been vocal about perceived collusion between the Adani Group and the ruling party.
The Adani Group has denied any wrongdoing, with Gautam Adani and his associates asserting they are not involved in any bribery charges. Mr. Adani said the group often faces challenges, adding, “Every attack makes us stronger.”
The Congress party’s demand for a discussion on the Adani issue, though not a uniform call by all its allies in the INDIA bloc, gained momentum today when a large number of them moved a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chair Jagdeep Dhankhar on grounds of partisanship. Protests over the issue led to an early adjournment of Parliament, prompting Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to express disappointment over the behavior of MPs, saying it was not in keeping with the “temple of democracy.”
Ms. Gandhi Vadra said after the adjournment, “The moment some serious questions are asked, the ruling party tries to run away and adjourn Parliament.” “We try every day to have a discussion, but they don’t want to. That is why they get the House adjourned for any reason,” she said.
Party colleague KC Venugopal chimed in, saying the government accuses the opposition of blocking Parliament when, as a matter of fact, it is incapable of running the House. To this, BJP leaders, including union ministers Giriraj Singh and Kiren Rijiju, accused the Congress of not making the necessary clarification regarding the allegations over collusion between Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Soros-funded media organizations.
After the adjournment, opposition MPs congregated on the steps of the Parliament building, demanding that the government respond to the U.S. indictment relating to the Adani firm.
