Adani row: Opposition protests outside Parliament demanding JPC probe, Congress holds nationwide agitation

Members of the Opposition on Monday held a protest outside the Parliament demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe or a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the Adani issue.

The Congress party has announced that it will launch nationwide protests at several locations including office branches of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and State Bank of India (SBI).

MPs gathered outside the Parliament in front of the Gandhi Statue in Delhi on Monday with slogans reading, "We demand JPC or SC monitored probe on Adani scandal."

Leader of the Opposition and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has made a list of demands of which a response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue is at the top.

Kharge claimed that the government does not want this matter to be raised and discussed in Parliament.

"They want to avoid it somehow and do not want to bring it to record," he said.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh has accused the Modi government of "simply running away" from the issue as the "PM-linked Adani maha mega scam" has gone unaddressed in the Parliament for a third day.

Both Houses of the Parliament Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 2 pm today amid chaos due to Opposition members seeking a discussion on the issue.

The Congress is getting support from other Opposition members for its nationwide protests. However, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Janata Dal (Secular) have distanced themselves from the issue. It is yet to be seen whether political parties Bharat Rashtra Samithi, All India Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party will join hands in the demonstrations.

The Opposition has taken issue with the Adani Group that has been accused of fraud by short seller Hindenburg Research whose report claims that the Gautam Adani-led group has participated in stock manipulation. Parties allege that the "scam" involves money of common people via the investments of public sector banks such as LIC and SBI.

The Adani Group has denied such allegations.