A day after NCP chief Sharad Pawar said there is “no need” for a JPC probe into the findings of the Hindenburg report, a tool used by the Congress and its allies to attack the ruling BJP, party leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday that he will not abandon the Adani issue.
“They hide the truth; that’s why they mislead every day! The question remains the same: Who has Rs 20,000 crore in benami money in Adani’s companies?” Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi. The Congress leader, in his tweet, also took a dig at former Congress leaders who have jumped ship to the Bharatiya Janata Party or have snapped decades-old ties with the grand old party, like Ghulam Nabi Azad and former Defence Minister AK Antony’s son Anil Antony.
However, Anil Antony, who joined the BJP on Thursday, hit back at the former Congress president and said that the “so-called” PM candidate of the Congress speaks like a social media troll.
“Sri. @RahulGandhi- This is sad to see a former President of a national party—the so-called PM candidate of the @INCIndia—speak like an online or social media cell troll and not like a national leader. Very humbled to see my fledgling name also with these tall stalwarts who have contributed decades to nation-building work – and had to leave the party as they preferred to work for India and our people and not for a family,” Antony said in a tweet.
Anil Antony joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi on Thursday.
Rahul Gandhi’s stinging remarks came after senior opposition leader Sharad Pawar said that there is “no need” for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Adani issue since the Supreme Court-appointed committee is examining the relevant issues and that it seems the Adani group was “targeted” in the Hindenburg Research report.
The NCP chief’s remarks are at variance with those of Congress, which has insisted on a JPC probe into the Hindenburg-Adani row. Some other opposition parties have also supported the demand for a JPC probe.
Pawar, a former union minister, said a demand was raised for a probe into the Adani issue, and the Supreme Court took the initiative and appointed a committee that includes a retired SC judge, experts, administrators, and economists. He said the committee has been given guidelines, a timeframe, and asked to submit the probe report.
He said the opposition wanted a parliamentary committee to probe the matter and added that the BJP has a majority in Parliament. “Today, who has the majority in Parliament, the ruling party? The demand was against the ruling party. The committee to probe the ruling party will have a majority of members from the ruling party. How will the truth come out? There can be apprehensions. If the Supreme Court investigates the matter, where there is no influence, there is a better chance of the truth coming out. And once the SC announced a committee for probing the matter, there was no need for a JPC (probe),” he said.