NEW DELHI: The upcoming winter session of Parliament from Nov 25, days after the high-stakes elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, is poised to be stormy with opposition likely to raise the indictment of Gautam Adani by US agencies.
A pointer to likely turbulence came on Thursday when leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi demanded the setting up of a JPC to examine the allegations. The demand is unlikely to be accepted.
“The leader of opposition in Lok Sabha will now start a drama when the Parliament’s winter session begins and try to disrupt its proceedings and target the economy,” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said in what was seen as a pointer to the govt’s stance.
Some parties in opposition may not join in the stir, but that is unlikely to be a deterrent for Congress and others.
The winter session was already set to be contentious with the opposition set to resist important business on govt’s legislative agenda – a constitutional amendment bill to pursue the ‘one nation, one election’ plan and the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
The addition of the fresh Adani controversy will only charge the political atmosphere, making the session a focal point for both policy and political drama.
Earlier, allegations by American shortseller Hindenburg Research of stock manipulation and accounting fraud had triggered a week of chaos in Parliament, with opposition demanding a debate and investigation.
BJP, on its part, had previously managed to navigate these storms by either downplaying the opposition’s demands or by rallying enough support to ensure business as usual. The indictment of Adani in the US marks a fresh challenge, especially with the political climate already charged by heated electioneering in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.