Opposition takes on PM Modi for 'not giving answers' on Adani issue

The opposition hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday for not responding to allegations related to industrialist Gautam Adani which they termed the elephant in the room with former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi accusing Modi of protecting the billionaireThe oppositions attack came after Modi said the trust reposed in him by crores of people is his protective shield which cannot be breached by abuse and allegations from his detractorsReplying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the Presidents Address in the Lok Sabha the prime minister said people know that he has come to their help in times of crisis and asked the opposition parties how would these same people agree with their abuses and allegationsCongress general secretary Jairam Ramesh described the prime ministers reply in Parliament as diversionary and said there was not even a word on his links with his favourite businessmanTrinamool Congresss TMC leader in the Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhyay said the prime minister should clearly make a statement assuring the depositors of the Life Insurance Corporation LIC and State Bank of India SBI that their money is in safe hands It is a fact that money has gone to Adani from them LIC and SBI and people were waiting for a reply to get an assurance from the prime minister but sadly it did not come Bandyopadhyay told reporters outside Parliament after Modis addressReferring to the AdaniHindenburg issue Shiromani Akali Dals SAD Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the elephant in the room was not addressed by the government It is very obvious what is on the minds of people and every member of the House but it was not addressed Some issues were raised and the nation deserves a reply It is peoples money that is involved and we have to make sure that the people get the answers to the questions that are arising she saidGandhi said it was clear that Modi was protecting Adani as he did not order an inquiry into the allegations levelled against the industrialist by USbased shortselling firm Hindenburg Research Talking to reporters outside Parliament after Modis address the Congress leader said the prime minister did not answer the questions he had posed to himAlso read Adani row Frances TotalEnergies puts hydrogen partnership with Adani Group on holdI am not satisfied but it reveals the truth There was no talk of an inquiry If he is not a friend of Adani he should have agreed to an inquiry There was no probe into shell companies in the defence sector and benami money is changing hands but the prime minister did not say anything on that It is clear that the prime minister is protecting him Adani Gandhi saidHe is surely trying to protect him and I understand this and there are reasons for it he addedGandhi said it is an issue of national security and concerns the countrys infrastructure and the prime minister should have said there will be a probe into the allegations levelled against the industrialist Asked if he got the answers to his questions the former Congress chief said I did not get any reply from the prime minister to my questionsThe prime minister was shellshocked He was in shock and there was no answer I have not asked any complicated question I only asked how many times he Adani has gone abroad with you How many times did he meet you I posed simple questions but got no answers he said I am not satisfied but it reveals the truth Gandhi said when asked if he was satisfied with the prime ministers replyIn a tweet Ramesh said Divert Defame Denigrate Deny The 4 Ds in PMs own style that Describe his socalled reply in Parliament Not a word direct or indirect on the prime ministers links with his favourite businessman Adani or his ghotalas scam Ramesh saidSharing pictures of Samajwadi Party SP MP Jaya Bachchan in the Rajya Sabha and Modi in the Lok Sabha Ramesh tweeted At 515 pm today One of Indias most famous actress on the right speaking in Rajya Sabha Indias most famous actor on the left speaking in the Lok SabhaSenior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said the prime minister gave a good speech but did not answer a single question put forward by the oppositionThe opposition has been demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe or a Supreme Courtmonitored investigation into the allegations of fraud and manipulation levelled by Hindenburg Research against Adanis companies triggering an unprecedented stock crash The business group has however denied the chargesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever