Stepping up its anti-Adani protest, Trinamool Congress lawmakers on Thursday visited offices of the Union finance ministry, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) demanding the arrest of the billionaire for alleged corporate fraud.
TMC along with other Opposition parties has been demanding an investigation by a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) into allegations of fraud and stock manipulation levelled by a US-based short-seller since February this year.
As the Opposition continued their protest to press their demand for a high-level investigation, TMC MPs – divided in three groups – visited the offices of the finance ministry, the ED and the CBI and handed relevant officials a memorandum and a cap with ‘Arrest Adani’ written on it.
“On behalf of All India Trinamool Congress, we the under-mentioned Member of Parliament went to your office to hand over two caps signed by our member as a token of protest demanding arrest of Gautam Adani,” reads the memorandum handed over to a finance ministry.
After visiting the government offices, TMC MPs Derek O’Brien and Sougata Roy held a press conference at Vijay Chowk. “Day before yesterday, our MPs marched from parliament to Vijay Chock wearing ‘Arrest Adani’ camp,” said O’Brien.
“The party MPs signed the cap and left them at the finance ministry, ED and CBI offices.”
Accusing the BJP of disrupting parliament proceedings, the TMC lawmaker said, “For the tenth day in a row, BJP MPs shouted slogans and disrupted parliament. BJP does not want parliament to run, they don’t want any discussion.”
Opposition MPs have been protesting in parliament and on the streets demanding a high-level probe into allegations levelled by US-based Hindenburg Research in a lengthy report published on January 24.
Meanwhile, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi for favouring Adani and discriminating against West Bengal in fund allocation for development schemes.
The West Bengal chief minister is scheduled to stage a two-day sit-in demonstration in Kolkata starting March 29 to protest the Modi government’s alleged discrimination against the state.