Congress demands discussion on Adani in all-party meet ahead of winter session of Parliament

New Delhi: The customary all-party meet convened by the government ahead of the Winter session of Parliament on Sunday saw the Congress demanding a discussion on bribery charges against the Adani Group.

The Opposition party also sought a discussion on the Manipur issue, pollution in north India and train accidents.

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari told reporters that his party urged the government to allow a discussion on Adani bribery scandal in the session.

He said his party wanted the issue to be taken up in Parliament as the first thing when it meets on Monday.

It is a grave issue involving the country's economic and security interests as over Rs 2,300 crore were allegedly paid by the company to politicians and bureaucrats to get favourable deal for its solar energy projects, the Rajya Sabha MP said.

Billionaire Gautam Adani has been charged by US prosecutors for allegedly being part of a scheme to pay $265 million (about Rs 2,200 crore) bribe to Indian officials in exchange of favourable terms for solar power contracts.

The Congress, he said, also wanted a discussion on issues like severe air pollution in north India, the Manipur situation, which has gone "out of control", and train accidents.

The meeting has been convened by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.

BJP president J P Nadda, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Gaurav Gogoi besides T Siva, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Anupriya Patel are attending the meet.

The Winter Session of Parliament, beginning Monday, is scheduled to last till December 20.

The government has listed 16 bills, including the Waqf Amendment Bill, for consideration in the session.

Several opposition leaders have said they will raise the issue of the indictment of Adani in Parliament with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi calling for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the allegations.

The meeting is also likely to discuss an event planned to be held on November 26 marking the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan (the old Parliament building).

The bills pending in the Lok Sabha include the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which has been listed for consideration and passage after the joint committee of the two Houses submits its report to the Lok Sabha.

The panel is mandated to submit its report on the last day of the first week of the Winter session.

Opposition members on the panel are demanding an extension in the timeline to submit its report. They have alleged that committee chair Jagdambika Pal, a BJP MP, is bulldozing the committee meetings and has sought the intervention of Speaker Om Birla.

The presentation, discussion and voting on the First Batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2024-25 has also been listed.

The other bill listed by the government for introduction, consideration and passage is the Punjab Courts (Amendment) Bill to enhance the pecuniary (defined as the monetary value of a case) appellate jurisdiction of Delhi district courts from the existing Rs 3 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.

It also includes the Merchant Shipping Bill that seeks to ensure compliance with India's obligation under maritime treaties to which New Delhi is a party. Besides, the Coastal Shipping Bill and the Indian Ports Bill have also been listed for introduction and eventual passage.

As many as eight bills, including the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, are pending in Lok Sabha. According to a Lok Sabha bulletin, two bills are pending with the Rajya Sabha.

The Rajya Sabha bulletin said an additional bill The Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, passed by the Lok Sabha is pending with the Upper House.

A set of proposed bills to implement simultaneous elections in the country are not part of the list yet, though some reports suggested that the government is likely to bring the proposed legislation in the coming session.