Both Houses adjourned till Wed as Oppn targets govt on Adani issue

The Opposition tries to corner government on issue of corruption allegations against Adani Group and demands a JPC probe

- SIMONTINI BHATTACHARJEE

The four-week Winter Session of Parliament began on Monday but was embroiled in early disruptions, leading to the adjournment of both Houses till Wednesday. The Opposition tried to corner the government on the issue of corruption allegations against the Adani Group and demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe.

Several opposition MPs had given adjournment notices in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seeking suspension of the day's listed business to discuss the issue of the indictment of Adani group head Gautam Adani and others in a US court on charges of paying bribes to secure solar power supply contracts. But the notices were disallowed by the Chair, drawing protests from the Opposition benches.

Outside Parliament, the Opposition INDIA bloc alleged that the government was "scared" of a discussion on the issue and sought a JPC probe into the "scam".

They questioned why Parliament was adjourned for the day without transacting any business, after which Lok Sabha officials said it was a convention to adjourn the proceedings of the House for a short duration immediately after making an obituary reference to a sitting member.

Congress leader Vasant Chavan from Nanded in Maharashtra and Trinamool Congress leader S K Nurul Islam from Basirhat in West Bengal -- both members of the current Lok Sabha -- died between two sessions of Parliament.

There will be no sittings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Tuesday to mark the 75th anniversary of the country's Constitution. Both Houses will meet again on Wednesday.

President Droupadi Murmu will lead the celebrations at the Central Hall of the old Parliament complex on November 26 to mark the occasion. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Speaker Om Birla will also speak, the government said.