New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday (March 22, 2023) stepped up its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asserted that the only way to comprehensively investigate the Adani issue is through a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). Addressing a press conference as the party’s total questions asked under its ‘Hum Adani Ke Hain Kaun’ initiative reached the 100-mark, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the Supreme Court-appointed expert committee would be a “clean chit” panel for the Modi government. He also claimed the ruling government wants the demand for JPC to be taken back and in return, it would take back the demand for an apology over former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks in the UK.

Ramesh, however, reiterated that there was “no question” of an apology and said that the demand for JPC is “non-negotiable”.

He said his party has previously posed 99 questions to Prime Minister Modi since February 5 in connection with the Adani issue.

“We conclude the series with a final question asking whether you will act in national interest using the vast army of investigative agencies at your disposal,” he said.

The Supreme Court-appointed Expert Committee appointed on March 2, unfortunately, lacks formal jurisdiction over these agencies, the senior Congress leader claimed.

“You have never hesitated to deploy them against the opposition, civil society, and independent businesses. We now appeal to you, with some irony, to use them as they are intended, to investigate the most brazen case of corruption and cronyism the country has witnessed since 1947,” he said.

LIVE: Congress party briefing by Shri @Jairam_Ramesh at AICC HQ. https://t.co/uxviIYMsaf

— Congress (@INCIndia) March 22, 2023

“While we pray that the Supreme Court’s Expert Committee produces a fair and thorough investigation of the ‘Adani Scam’, we note that it lacks jurisdiction over the investigative agencies mentioned above, and that its scope does not include examining cronyism and your political interference in governance aimed at ‘enriching’ your friends,” he added.

The answer is clearly a JPC to examine all relevant aspects of this scam, as both Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments have in the past agreed on to investigate major cases of stock market manipulation, he asserted.

He also took to his official Twitter account and wrote, “Today is HAHK (Hum Adanike Hain Kaun)-34 in which we ask the 100th question directly of the PM on the Adani MahaMegaScam. He cannot simply dissociate himself from it. Chuppi Todiye Pradhan Mantriji.”

Today is HAHK(Hum Adanike Hain Kaun)-34 in which we ask the 100th question directly of the PM on the Adani MahaMegaScam. He cannot simply dissociate himself from it.

Chuppi Todiye Pradhan Mantriji pic.twitter.com/SOk9Am7cUb

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) March 22, 2023

It is notable that the first part of the Budget session was marked by frequent disruptions over the demand for a JPC on US-based short seller Hindenburg Research’s allegations of irregularities against the Adani group, which has denied the charges.

The issue has since then dominated the proceedings in Parliament as the Opposition unitedly demanded that a JPC be set up to probe the crash of stock prices of Adani group companies leading to huge loss of capital including to some PSUs like SBI and LIC.