Mumbai/New Delhi: After his Adani remarks created a flutter in the opposition ranks amid unity talks, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Saturday said he is not completely opposed to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into allegations against the Adani group, but a Supreme Court panel will be “more useful and effective.”
Taking a position at variance from senior ally Congress, Pawar said he favoured a Supreme Court committee to probe allegations against the Adani group since the ruling party (BJP) would have a majority in the JPC based on numerical strength in Parliament and this would lead to doubts on such a probe.
He was talking to reporters in Mumbai.
Pawar, the president of the NCP, in an interview to NDTV on Friday, had also come out in support of the Adani Group and criticised the narrative around Hindenburg Research’s report on the conglomerate, distancing himself from the opposition offensive against the Adani group with his comments also seen as a setback to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The Congress on its part said the Supreme Court committee to look into the Hindenburg research report on Adani group has limited terms of reference and “cannot bring out the deep nexus between” the prime minister and the billionaire businessman.
The NCP chief also said he was not aware of the antecedents of the United States-based Hindenburg Research, which has alleged stock manipulation and accounting fraud in firms belonging to billionaire Gautam Adani.
The Hindenburg report has resulted in strident protests by the opposition Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, and others against the union government to demand a JPC probe. The Adani group has refuted the allegations.
“One foreign company takes a position about the situation in the country. We should decide how much focus should be on this. Instead of this (JPC), a Supreme Court panel is more effective,” Pawar told reporters.
“I am not completely opposed to the JPC. There have been JPCs and I have been a chairman of some of the JPCs. The JPC will be constituted on the basis of majority (in Parliament). Instead of a JPC, I am of the opinion the Supreme Court committee is more useful and effective,” Pawar said.
AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Supreme Court committee has very limited terms of reference.