On Friday, Delhi Police detained the opposition MPs after it issued a warning not to carry out the protest march citing the imposition of section 144 in the Vijay Chowk area of Delhi. The opposition parties such as the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray), JD(U), and Aam Aadmi Party held a protest march against the ruling BJP government and demanded Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) inquiry on the Adani-Hindenberg issue in the parliament.
#WATCH | Delhi police detained opposition MPs who were protesting at Vijay Chowk demanding a JPC inquiry into the Adani Group issue. pic.twitter.com/la6GgC4O6g
— ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2023
According to the reports, the prominent opposition leaders including Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge marched in the protest and raised slogans against the ruling government. The leaders also held placards with ‘We demand JPC’, ‘Save LIC’ and ‘Democracy in Danger’ written on them. The opposition also meanwhile condemned the conviction of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 defamation case.
The videos of the protest march went viral over the internet in which the MPs could be seen marching at Delhi’s Vijay Chowk while carrying signs and pamphlets that advocated for a JPC enquiry into the Adani matter. A police officer could also be heard imploring the political leaders to put an end to the protest in the meanwhile, citing Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which prohibits gatherings, rallies, and unrest in the region.
Section 144 has been imposed at Vijay Chowk, where the opposition is protesting against the Centre.
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 24, 2023
“Centre has a clear majority then why are they fearing the JPC probe?” – Congress chief, Mallikarjun Kharge asks.@nielspeak shares more details with @kritsween & @anchoramitaw. pic.twitter.com/tndQuvpjta
Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge commented on the issue and said, “We’re fighting for JPC into Adani issue for months. They have a majority but the BJP is scared as there’s something fishy. Centre has a clear majority then why are they fearing the JPC probe? We’ll keep fighting unitedly for it.”
In addition, he also criticized J P Nadda, the president of the BJP, for allegedly blaming Congress for comparing OBC people to robbers and accused the BJP instead of engaging in “caste politics.” Sanjay Singh of the AAP also claimed that Gandhi’s conviction in the defamation case demonstrates the government’s intention to silence the opposition by bringing legal charges against them. Several Youth Congress members also raised slogans in support of Rahul Gandhi.
#WATCH | Delhi: Members of Youth Congress raise slogans in support of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in wake of his conviction in the criminal defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark. pic.twitter.com/1XI1eGX3uW
— ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2023
On Thursday, the Surat Court convicted Rahu Gandhi of criminal defamation and sentenced 2 years of jail. However, the leader was immediately granted bail and the ruling was postponed for 30 days so that he could file an appeal with a higher court.
The defamation suit was filed by Purnesh Modi after Gandhi made derogatory remarks against ‘Modi surname’ at a Lok Sabha election rally in Karnataka’s Kolar on April 13, 2019. “Why all the thieves, be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi or Narendra Modi, have Modi in their names,” the leader had said during the rally. However, today the Congress leader was qisqualified from the lower house of the parliament owing to the case from 2019.
To note, section 144 was imposed in the Vijay Chowk of Delhi on March 15 after opposition began their march to the Enforcement Directorate office. The Opposition leaders called for the protest march to hand over a complaint to the probe agency on the Adani issue.
