New Delhi, Nov 21 (PTI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said a comprehensive Joint Parliament Committee probe into all aspects of the Adani group's functioning, including its investments in foreign countries, and institutional erosion in India is the need of the hour.
This investigation should start with Adani, he said.
Kharge's remarks came after US prosecutors charged Adani and associates for allegedly paying USD 250 million in bribes to Indian officials. The Adani group denied the charges, saying the allegations were baseless and the conglomerate is compliant with all laws.
Reacting to the development, the Congress president said when a top-ranking Indian businessman is indicted by a foreign country, it tarnishes the country's image on the global stage.
"The Congress has been continuously objecting to unethical business practices which profiteer and promote certain individuals by implementing Modi government's policy of creating monopolies in key sectors and concentrating wealth in the hands of a few by giving undue favours," Kharge said in a post on X.
"This entire vicious nexus, involving cronies, compromised bureaucrats and certain politicians, created by PM Modi and Adani has to be investigated and dismantled," he said in his post.
Kharge said this nexus "severely hurts our people -- poor and middle class, aspiring entrepreneurs, MSMEs, startups and crores of small and medium retail investors, for it widens inequalities by snatching savings and opportunities".
"Narendra Modi ji's 'Ek Hain, Toh SAFE Hain; is about 'One Monopoly to protect the looted SAFE'," the Congress president said.
"A comprehensive JPC, which not only investigates every aspect of the working of the Adani Group, the deliberate institutional erosion of the SEBI, SECI and government bodies, and the deals of Adani Group in foreign countries is the need of the hour.
As Rahul Gandhi mentions, this investigation should start with Adani, Kharge asserted.
"Only then, we as a country can ensure that the hard-earned money of our people remains SAFE, inequalities are reduced, our systems enable a conducive environment for market competition, become transparent and accountable and ignite the spirit entrepreneurship for all," the Congress president said.
The opposition party has been demanding a JPC probe into the Adani issue ever since a US research group Hindenburg came out with a report alleging financial irregularities and stock price manipulation by the conglomerate.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has demanded immediate arrest of businessman Gautam Adani and a thorough investigation against him.