Sharad Pawar says Hindenburg report on Adani group ‘seems targeted’, no need of JPC

NEW DELHI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief and senior Opposition leader Sharad Pawar has said that there is “no need” of a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani issue since the Supreme Court-appointed committee is examining the relevant issues and that it seems the Adani group was “targeted” in the Hindenburg Research report.

“….Someone gave a statement, and it created uproar in the country. Such statements were given earlier too, which created ruckus. But the importance given to the issue this time was out of proportion. There is a need to think who raised the issue (gave report). We had not heard the name who gave the statement. What is the background?. When such issues are raised, they create uproar in the country, the cost is borne….how it impacts the economy. We can’t ignore such things, and it seems was targeted”, Pawar told a television channel in an interview.

The NCP chief’s remarks are at variance with those of Congress which has insisted on a JPC probe into the Hindenburg-Adani row. Some other opposition parties have also supported the demand for a JPC probe.

Pawar, a former Union minister, said a demand was raised for a probe into Adani issue and the Supreme Court took the initiative and appointed a committee which has retired a SC judge, experts, administrators and economists. He said the committee has been given guidelines, a timeframe and asked to submit the probe report.

He said the Opposition wanted a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the matter and added that BJP has a majority in Parliament.

“Today, who has the majority in Parliament, the ruling party. The demand was against the ruling party. The committee to probe against the ruling party will have majority members from the ruling party. How will the truth come out? There can be apprehensions. If Supreme Court investigates the matter, where there is no influence, there is a better chance of the truth coming out. And once the SC announced a committee for probing the matter, there was no need of a JPC (probe)”, he said.

The second half of the budget session of Parliament saw continuous disruptions over the JPC demand for a probe into the Hindenburg-Adani row.

The Supreme Court had last month set up a six-member expert committee “to investigate if there was a regulatory failure in dealing with the alleged contravention of laws pertaining to the securities market in relation to the Adani Group or other companies”. The committee was asked to give the report in two months. (ANI)