Any committee other than JPC will be exercise in exoneration: Cong on Adani row

The Congress on Thursday said a thorough investigation into the Adani issue is necessary holding that any committee other than a JPC will be nothing but an exercise in legitimisation and exonerationCongress General Secretary Communications Jairam Ramesh said the proposal before the Supreme Court for setting up of a committee by the government can hardly ensure transparencyIn a statement he said a Supreme Court bench on February 13 while hearing petitions on the AdaniHindenburg matter discussed the creation of a committee of experts to examine the regulatory regime post the allegations made by the USbased shortsellerHe said it had directed the Government to give its submissions in this regard by February 17Where the allegations are of close intertwined proximity between the ruling dispensation the government of India and the Adani Group the setting up of a committee with terms of reference proposed by the Government of India can hardly carry any insignia or reassurance of independence or transparency he saidAlso Read AdaniHindenburg row SC agrees to hear fresh PIL of Congress leader on February 17It is an exercise initiated by the two principal actors the government and the Adani Group to cover up avoid evade and bury all genuine scrutiny It is becoming clear that the proposed Committee is part of a carefully orchestrated exercise by these vested interests to prevent any real investigation into the Adani Groups relationship with the ruling regime the Congress leader allegedIf the prime minister and his government are to be held accountable any committee other than a JPC will be nothing but an exercise in legitimisation and exoneration he claimedRamesh said given the nature of the allegations it is imperative that the link between Adani and the ruling regime is examined in the full light of day by elected officials accountable to the publicAn evaluation of the regulatory and statutory regime by experts is in no manner equivalent to an investigation by a Joint Parliamentary Committee JPC Such a committee however competently staffed cannot be a substitute for a thorough investigation into the politicalcorporate nexus that has come to light in the last two weeks It simply does not have the authority resources or jurisdiction to examine the issues that the Opposition has raised he said asserting that a JPC probe on Adani issue is necessaryHe claimed several JPCs have been constituted in the past to inquire into matters of public importance such as irregularities in securities and banking transactions as well as the stockmarket scam of 2001These reports have been crucial to prosecutions that have followed and have provided the bedrock for legislative changes to prevent similar manipulative practices he claimedThe Congress has been demanding a JPC probe into the allegations against the Adani Group by USbased shortseller Hindenburg ResearchThe Adani Group has dismissed the allegations as baseless