Modi was in shock, had no answers to questions on Adani: Rahul Gandhi on PM's speech in Parliament

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in the Lok Sabha during the Motion of Thanks to the Presidential Address on Wednesday, saying the PM was in a state of shock and had no answers to the questions raised by him with regard to the Adani issue.

"The prime minister was shell-shocked. He was in shock. And he did not give any answers (to the questions raised by him in the Lok Sabha yesterday)," Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament shortly after Modi's speech in Lok Sabha.

Gandhi had, in his speech in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address, accused Modi of practicing crony capitalism and providing the Adani Group with undue advantage. Portions of his speech were expunged.

The Congress leader said it was clear that Modi is protecting Adani in the wake of allegations against the businessman. "I have not asked any complicated questions. I asked how many times he (Adani) has travelled with you. These are simple questions."

He said while he is not satisfied with Modi's speech, it reveals the truth.

"He did not say anything about holding an inquiry. If he (Adani) is not a friend, he could have easily said we will carry out an inquiry. The question is about the defence industry, shell companies, and benami money that is going around. It is clear that the prime minister is protecting him," Gandhi said.

He said the issue is about national security and India's infrastructure. "The prime minister could have said, 'ok, we will conduct an inquiry and check what is the issue'. It is a very big scam. But he did not say anything like that. He is definitely trying to protect him (Adani). And I can understand the reason for this," he said.