Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar support for the Adani Group and condemnations the narrative around the Hindenburg Research’s report on the conglomerate is likely to deepen the rift between the Congress and the NCP.
On Saturday, Congress leader Alka Lamba criticised Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar for saying that the Opposition's demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Adani Group issue was unnecessary.
Lamba took to her Twitter handle and tweeted in Hindi while sharing a picture in which Pawar and billionaire Gautam Adani are sitting together on what appeared to be the balcony of a building."Scared-greedy people are today singing the praises of dictatorial power because of their personal interests. Only Rahul Gandhi is fighting the battle of the people of the country against the capitalist as well as against the watchman who is protecting them," she wrote in Hindi.
Fadnavis, Poonawalla respond
In a late night tweet, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis responded to Lamba’s tweet and said, “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 appaling. Rahul Gandhi is perverting India’s political culture.”
Shehzad Poonawalla, national spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party, was also quick to respond to Lamba's tweet, asking if this was the Congress' official position.
“I am shocked. Is this Congress’ official position. Alka Lamba has made an unbelievable attack on Sharad Pawar ji. She has described him as greedy & a coward. As a Maharashtrian I am pretty flabbergasted. Is this the official position of @INCIndia @INCMaharashtra & what does NCP @NCPspeaks have to say?” Poonawalla tweeted.
Responding to the tweet Lamba said "No, this is Not the Congress's OP on Mr Pawar , check the party handle for that. I am a Congress worker, My tweets are my independent views on my personal handle, responsibility and accountability for them is mine, There is democracy in the party, everyone has the right to express his views."
'No need' for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into Adani issue: Pawar
This comes after Sharad Pawar said there is "no need" for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani issue as the Supreme Court-appointed committee will be more reliable and unbiased in its probe into the claims made in the report against the Indian conglomerate.
Previously Congress leaders blamed the BJP for disruptions in Parliament and alleged that the government does not want to discuss the opposition's demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Hindenburg-Adani row and wants to divert attention from the issue.