New Delhi: NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Friday stated that the Adani Group was seemingly targeted by the US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research, to which Congress has now reacted.
As per a PTI report, Congress said that its ally NCP may have its view on the issue but 19 like-minded Opposition parties are convinced that the charges against the Adani group very serious.
20 like-minded Opposition parties, including the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), are united and will be together in saving the Constitution and democracy from the "BJP's assaults," Congress stated.
Mahua Moitra reacts
TMC leader Mahua Moitra also took a dig at the comments by Sharad Pawar pointing out to the fact that an Adani owned channel (NDTV) interviewed Adani's friends (Sharad Pawar) to tell people how he is being targeted.
She wrote, "Long live Indian Media - you truly are a rare species!"
Pawar comes out in support of Adani group
Earlier in an interview to NDTV, Pawar came out in support of the Adani Group and criticised the narrative around the Hindenburg Research's report on the conglomerate.
"Such statements were given by other individuals earlier too and there was a ruckus in Parliament for a few days but this time out-of-proportion importance was given to the issue. The issues that were kept, who kept them, we had never heard of these people who gave the statement, what is the background. When they raise issues that cause a ruckus across the country, the cost is borne by the country's economy, we cannot disregard these things. It seems this was targeted," Pawar said.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief further said, "An individual industrial group of the country was targeted, that is what it seems. If they have done anything wrong, there should be an inquiry."
Jairam Ramesh releases statement
Reacting to this, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh in a statement said that the NCP may have its view but 19 like-minded Opposition parties are convinced that the "PM-linked Adani Group issue" is real and very serious.
"But all 20 like-minded Opposition parties including NCP are united and will be together in saving the Constitution & our democracy from the BJP's assaults and in defeating the BJP's divisive and destructive political, social and economic agenda," Ramesh said.
Pawar's remarks striking a discordant note with other allies come at a time when it seemed that the unity among the Opposition parties has strengthened following Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha after he was convicted for two years in a 2019 defamation case by a Surat court.
Several Opposition parties, led by the Congress, protested through the second half of the budget session of Parliament demanding a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also been aggressively targeting the government over the Adani issue.
Earlier, there had been a difference of opinion between the Congress and the TMC over the Adani issue with the grand old party demanding a JPC probe and the Mamata Banerjee-led outfit calling for a Supreme Court-monitored probe.
The Congress, NCP and the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray are in an alliance in Maharashtra called the Maha Vikas Aghadi.
The Hindenburg Research has made a litany of allegations, including fraudulent transactions and share-price manipulation, against the Adani Group.
The Gautam Adani-led group has dismissed the charges as lies, saying it complies with all laws and disclosure requirements.
(with PTI inputs)
