Rajya Sabha proceedings adjourned till Wednesday amid Oppn bid to raise Adani bribery issue

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day Monday as opposition parties led by the Congress tried to raise the issue of the indictment of Adani group founder chairman Gautam Adani and others in a US court on charges of paying bribes to secure solar power supply contracts.

The House will meet again Wednesday (November 27). There will be no sitting of Parliament Tuesday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Constituent Assembly’s adoption of the Constitution in 1949.

Earlier, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar disallowed 13 notices served under rule 267, including seven that sought a discussion on the US indictment on the alleged payment of $265 million in bribes. But the Congress and Left parties insisted on a discussion, forcing a 15-minute adjournment of proceedings.

Soon after listed papers were laid on the table of the House and obituary references read out on the death of former MPs, Dhankhar said he had received 13 notices under rule 267 but was not convinced to accept them.

Leader of the Opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who was among the seven that sought a discussion on the Adani bribery issue, said if the listed business is suspended, the opposition parties can explain how the “very important” issue was impacting the entire country.

The image of the country has been tarnished globally and yet Prime Minister Narendra Modi was supporting Adani, he alleged.

At this point, Dhankhar ordered that nothing that Kharge says will go on record.

But as the opposition parties persisted, he adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes.

When the House re-assembled at 11.45 am, the chairman said he has the highest respect for the members of the House and urged them to allow him to continue with the scheduled business.

However, some opposition members were heard raising certain matters.

The chairman then adjourned the proceedings of the House for the day.

The other notices under rule 267, which calls for suspending the listed business of the House to take up discussion on the issue being sought to be raised, pertained to continued violence in Manipur, violent clashes in UP’s Sambhal district and special assistance to the flood-hit Wayanad district of Kerala.

The Adani group has denied all charges in the US indictment, calling them baseless.

PTI