'Demand Of JPC Probe On Adani Issue Non-Negotiable': Jairam Ramesh Rejects 'Middle Path' To End Parliament Logjam

Jairam Ramesh also slammed BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's efforts to seek termination of Rahul Gandhi's membership of Lok Sabha over his recent remarks in the UK

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh

Source : PTI

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said he does not see any "middle path" to end the logjam in Parliament as the demand of the Opposition for a JPC probe into the Adani issue is "non-negotiable" and there is no question of an apology over Rahul Gandhi's remarks in the UK, news agency PTI reported.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, the Congress general secretary in-charge (communications) said the government is rattled by 16 Opposition parties that have come together to demand a joint parliamentary probe into the Adani issue and is resorting to a "3D campaign -- distort, defame and divert".

Jairam Ramesh also slammed BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's efforts to seek termination of Rahul Gandhi's membership of Lok Sabha over his recent remarks in the UK, saying all this was an "intimidation" and part of efforts to distract people from the real issues.

Asked if there is any option to break the logjam in Parliament with the saffron party sticking to its demand of Rahul Gandhi's apology and the Congress seeking a JPC probe into the Adani issue, Ramesh said, "I don't see any middle path because our demand for a JPC is non-negotiable and the question of an apology does not arise."

"In order to divert attention from this legitimate and reasonable demand for a JPC, the BJP is insisting on an apology. An apology for what, the current prime minister (Narendra Modi) has repeatedly in China, Germany, South Korea and in various parts of the world used forums to raise domestic political issues and to criticise his political opponents. He should be making an apology why should Rahul Gandhi be making any apology for highlighting what the state of democracy is in our country today,” Ramesh added.

The former Union minister said that whatever Rahul Gandhi said in the UK is a matter of record with its videos and transcripts available.

"He (Gandhi) is very clear, he said 'India's problems have to be solved internally through the electoral process, these are internal issues'. But he also said democracy in India is a public good and if India is democratic, not only India benefits but the world also benefits," Ramesh said.

"What the BJP has been doing in the past couple of days is that it is distorting Mr Rahul Gandhi's remarks in order to divert. This is the 3D orchestrated strategy of Mr Modi -- distort, defame and divert. Why divert, because there is growing evidence daily of the complicity of the establishment, the PM himself, in this massive scam of Adani in which crores and crores of rupees of public institutions LIC, SBI and other financial institutions are involved and crores of crores of Indians are suffering because of this cronyism," he added.

Meanwhile, Jairam Ramesh raised three new questions to the BJP-led Centre on the Adani row as part of Congress’s ‘Hum Adanike Hain Kaun’ campaign.

It is a Saturday but that has not deterred us from putting out HAHK (Hum Adanike Hain Kaun)-32, a set of 3 questions to the PM directly on the Adani MahaMegaScam from which the BJP is desperately trying to divert attention.

Chuppi Todiye Pradhan Mantriji pic.twitter.com/68gZhxJDj1

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) March 18, 2023

“Home Minister Amit Shah stated in a 17 March 2023 interview that anyone who has evidence of wrongdoing relating to the Adani Group is free to submit it to the Supreme Court-appointed 'Expert Committee' that was set up on 2 March 2023. Clearly, the expert committee's mandate excludes the main charge against you: that you have sought to enrich your close friend and financier Gautam Adani at any cost,” Ramesh tweeted.

“The Expert Committee has no formal jurisdiction over investigations by SEBI and any other investigative agency. It lacks the power to enforce summons, to compel the production of evidence or to cross-examine witnesses, and statements before it do not have the same force in terms of evidentiary value as a court of law,” he said, adding, “Even with its limited mandate, we pray that the Expert Committee's report, which is scheduled to be submitted in two months time in a 'sealed cover', does not meet the same fate as previous such reports.”