The Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal met with Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai to discuss opposition unity ahead of the national election in 2024 and alleged misuse of central agencies by the BJP government to target opposition leaders. Mr Venugopal called for a “broader opposition unity” and stated that the opposition parties will fight together against the dictatorship of Narendra Modi. The BJP has often criticized the opposition’s attempt to unite when there are disagreements and even outright hostility between some of them. Yesterday, Congress leader Ajay Maken asked the party not to “support” and “show any sympathy” to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as doing so would “confuse” the Congress cadre and “benefit” the BJP.
The Adani Group-Hindenburg Research row refers to allegations made by the US-based research firm Hindenburg Research in a report published in November 2021, which accused the Adani Group of financial irregularities and environmental violations. The report led to a massive sell-off of Adani Group stocks and triggered a political storm in India. Several opposition parties, including the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the matter. However, Sharad Pawar, the chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which is an ally of the Congress in Maharashtra, criticized the demand for a JPC probe and said that it was a “non-issue.” Pawar argued that the matter was being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), and therefore, there was no need for a JPC probe. The opposition’s demand for a JPC probe stalled all business in the parliament, as the opposition disrupted proceedings and demanded that the government agree to their demand. The government, however, refused to concede to the opposition’s demand, and the logjam continued for several days, until the speaker of the Lok Sabha adjourned the House sine die on December 23, 2021, a day ahead of schedule.
