Cracks In INDI Alliance? TMC Opposes Disrupting Parliament Over Adani Issue, Skips Congress President's Meeting

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday (2 December) skipped the INDI Alliance's meeting at the chamber of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over raising the Adani indictment issue in the Parliament.

The US Department of Justice recently unsealed a criminal indictment against Gautam Adani and others, alleging that they paid $250 million in bribes to Indian officials to secure solar energy contracts.

Congress has been targeting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly protecting Adani from arrest. The Winter Session of Parliament which began last week has been disrupted over the issue.

Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Manickam Tagore submitted an Adjournment Motion notice in the Lok Sabha this morning to initiate a discussion on the Adani issue.

Meanwhile, MPs from several parties, including Congress, have called for debates on other urgent matters such as the impact of Cyclone Fengal, the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal related to a mosque survey, attacks on ISKCON monks in Bangladesh, and delays in paddy procurement in Punjab.

TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay asserted that the House should function and pledged to raised issues of unemployment, price rise and fertilisers, while saying that Adani issue should be discussed separately.

"Adani issue should be discussed in the Business Advisory Committee. It is the responsibility of the major ruling party to see that the House runs. This BJP govt is not interested in running the House," he said

Mamata Banerjee's nephew, TMC General Secretary and the party’s second-in-command, Abhishek Banerjee, emphasised that the party would focus on Bengal-specific issues during the Winter Session of Parliament.

"Our stance is clear: we will prioritise Bengal’s issues. The Centre has withheld Bengal’s dues, and we want discussions on this in Parliament. Ask the Congress what their stand is. We are committed to raising Bengal's concerns first," he stated.

Senior TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar echoed this sentiment, adding that the party aims for a functional Parliament. "We want the House to run smoothly. Disrupting Parliament over a single issue is not our approach. We will hold the government accountable on multiple fronts," she said.