Demand For JPC: How Opposition Unity Is Falling Apart Over Adani Issue

Following the Hindenburg report on the Adani Group, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the opposition parties have tried to maintain continuous pressure on the government by attacking Adani Group.

They have accused the government of providing unwarranted advantages to industrialist Gautam Adani.

However, recent comments by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad will shift the focus onto Rahul Gandhi himself and the lack of substance in the allegations being levelled by him.

A series of 100 allegations has been leveled against Adani Group by the Indian National Congress as well.

These allegations are mostly based on the ones made by short seller Hindenburg Research, sending shockwaves throughout the financial markets, and leading to a sharp decline in the stock prices of various Adani Group companies.

The united opposition has seen this as an opportunity to establish Narendra Modi’s “links” to the Adani “scam” and it so appears that this would be their main theme going ahead till the general elections next year (2024).

Most of these allegations, both from the Hindenburg Research and the Congress, raise various questions regarding coal mine allocations, infrastructure projects being given to “inexperienced” Adani Group, corporate governance issues and allegations regarding ‘shell’ companies.

The opposition parties are demanding a Joint Parliamentary Commission (JPC) probe into these allegations to bring out the “truth”. They have even stalled parliament and conducted protests across the country.

On the other hand, the Adani Group has responded to Hindenburg Research’s allegations and has called them malicious and unwarranted.

They have been asked by the stock exchanges to submit various updates based on news reports being published on various allegations being made. In fact, the Securities and Exchange Board of India has issued requests from the group for data/information citing these allegations.

However, Pawar in an interview to NDTV said that he believed the Adani Group is being targeted by “outsiders and unknown entities with questionable motives”.

This statement has exposed the gaps in the so-called opposition unity and puts a hard stop to the various demands that are being made in relation to the Adani conglomerate, particularly the demand to form a JPC.

Pawar’s view was that there is no utility left for demanding a JPC into the Adani issue as the Supreme Court has already appointed an independent committee to look into it and suggest regulatory measures.

He further stated that the proposed JPC will have majority members from the ruling party whereas the Supreme Court appointed committee is independent and no one can influence the SC.

It is pertinent to note that the Adani Group has “welcomed” the appointment of the Supreme Court committee.

It is noteworthy to state that Pawar said “maybe the reasoning could have been that once a JPC starts, its proceedings are reported in the media on a daily basis. Perhaps someone would have wanted the issue to fester for two-four months, but the truth would never have come out.”

Perhaps this seems to be the strategy of the Congress party. They are coming up with allegation against the Adani Group on a daily basis and trying their best to corner the Modi government.

The strategy is to keep the issue “alive” and make “newsworthy” posts on a daily basis.

Recently, Rahul Gandhi shared a post accusing various ex-congress leaders, who have quit the party in recent times, of having “ties” with the Adani Group.

His attack actually focused on ex-Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kiran Reddy, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Anil Antony.

Azad, a former Congress veteran, who left the party last year, citing Rahul Gandhi's insufficient leadership skills, revealed information about Rahul Gandhi's connections with businessmen in an interview with Asianet News.

Azad’s response comes after the tweet in which Rahul Gandhi accused him of having links with Gautam Adani.

He revealed that Rahul Gandhi and the entire Gandhi family has associations with various entrepreneurs, including “some undesirable ones”. He went on to question Rahul Gandhi’s frequent foreign trips as well.

Many of the opposition party leaders were left confused as Pawar discarded the JPC demand.

Some of them stated that this is the personal view of the veteran and few maintained that they will still back the Congress party on their demand for JPC.

This issue even created an uproar in Maharashtra as well when Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis came out in defence of Pawar.

He was responding to Congress leader Alka Lamba who tweeted a picture of Pawar with Gautam Adani and wrote: “Dare Hue - Lalchi log he apne Niji hiton ke chalte tanashah Satta ke Guun Gaa Rahe hain — Desh Ke logo ki ladaai ek akela Rahul Gandhi Lad Raha hai — Poonjipati choron se bhee aur choron ko bachanewale chaukidaar se bhee”.

Fadnavis tweeted that “Politics will come and go but this tweet by a Congress leader on their long standing ally of 35 years and one of the India’s senior most political leaders and a 4 time CM of Maharashtra is appalling. Rahul Gandhi is perverting India’s political culture.”

Statements from Azad and Pawar distancing himself from Rahul Gandhi's attacks on the government suggest that opposition unity against Modi is absent.

In light of these developments, Rahul Gandhi's strategy of rallying the opposition around the Adani issue is beginning to show signs of faltering.

As one of the key architects of the opposition's anti-Modi campaign, Rahul Gandhi's potential isolation could have significant implications for the opposition's cohesiveness and effectiveness in mounting a strong challenge to the ruling BJP government.

It is clear that there are internal squabbles and a lack of a clear unified message and/or strategy in the opposition parties.

The consequence of this is the further strengthening of the Modi government's position, as the opposition may be perceived as disorganised and unable to present a viable alternative.

In fact, the reliance on an outside agency (Hindenburg Research) to attack an Indian conglomerate is also not being acceptable to the commoners who look at these business groups as “job creators”.

In such a scenario, the BJP will surely capitalise on the opposition's disarray and consolidate its power base.

To support this opinion, the retail shareholding in various Adani Group companies has gone up since the allegations came out.

One reason could be the price correction but common people wouldn’t put their hard earned money if they did not see the value going up in the near or long term future.

It is clear that the unfounded attacks on Adani Group are not flying off with the common people.

This is perhaps one of the main reasons why Pawar distanced himself from the JPC demand. He is considered as one of the most seasoned leaders who has his ears to the ground.

Furthermore, as the opposition loses momentum on the Adani issue, it may become imperative for them to identify new avenues for challenging the government.

This could involve focusing on issues such as economic growth, unemployment, and social welfare, which have a more direct impact on the lives of the electorate.

By shifting the narrative towards these topics, the opposition could potentially regain lost ground and present a more cohesive front against the government.

However, the success of this new strategy would largely depend on the ability of opposition leaders to set aside their differences and work together towards a common goal.

With the stakes high in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections next year, the opposition's ability to regroup and present a united front will be crucial in determining its electoral prospects.

In conclusion, the unfolding events around Rahul Gandhi's stance on the Adani issue have exposed potential rifts within the opposition.

The opposition's ability to recalibrate its strategy and present a unified front in the face of these challenges will be critical in determining its success in the upcoming elections. Will they learn from the past? Data shows otherwise.