Probe Adani Group, Opposition writes to ED as march foiled

New Delhi, March 15

Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday emailed a letter to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking immediate action into charges against the Adani Group after MPs of 16 Opposition parties were stopped from physically submitting it to the investigation agency.

The police put up barricades to prevent the Opposition members numbering nearly 200 from marching from the Parliament complex to the ED office here to submit the letter. The authorities imposed Section 144 of the CrPC around the complex.

Kharge, who led the march, said the police did not let them go to the ED office as the government did not want them to demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue. The Opposition MPs earlier met at Kharge’s office to coordinate their strategy on the issue. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) did not take part in the march. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is the Lok Sabha member from Wayanad in Kerala, was also conspicuous by his absence.

Addressed to ED Director SK Mishra, the letter signed by the leaders of 16 parties, including AAP, BRS, DMK, CPM, CPI, SP and RJD, stated that over the last three months several crucial pieces of evidence against the Adani Group had been made available in the public domain.

The ED, however, is yet to launch even a preliminary inquiry into the “very serious charges”, the letter said.

“As a result, we are constrained to file this official complaint so that the ED is compelled to investigate…,” the letter added.

While the letter did not specify the “relationship” it wanted the ED to “investigate”, it is apparent that it is questioning the friendship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Adani Group founder Gautam Adani.

Stating that lately the ED has been “zealously” pursuing cases of alleged political favouritism, the letter said the agency “could not turn around and abdicate its jurisdiction” in the case of the Adani Group.