Amit Shah responds to Adani-Hindenburg row: ‘If something wrong happened…’

Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday broke his silence on the Opposition’s demand to form a Joint Parliamentary Committee or JPC to probe the Adani-Hindenburg row. Speaking at India Today Conclave 2023, Shah said the Supreme Court had already taken cognisance of the matter and formed a probe committee.

Adani Group stocks had taken a beating on the bourses after US-based activist short-seller Hindenburg Research made a litany of allegations, including fraudulent transactions and share price manipulation, against the Gautam Adani-led group, which has dismissed the allegations as lies.

The Adani Group has dismissed the charges as lies, saying it complies with all laws and disclosure requirements.

“Our government has no confusion on the matter. What we are saying is that the Supreme Court has constituted a committee to investigate it and people should trust the judicial process,” Shah said.

Shah added that if anyone has proof, he or she should submit it before the Supreme Court committee.

He also assured that “no one should be spared if something wrong has happened” and everyone should trust the judicial process.

“Even then, if you think the report is not correct, then one should raise the matter or protest against it. Both SEBI and the Supreme Court will be doing parallel probes and the SEBI has already told the Supreme Court that it is investigating the matter,” the home minister said.

Parliament logjam can be resolved if…: says Amit Shah

Shah said the current logjam in Parliament can be resolved if the opposition comes for talks, adding the government will go “two steps ahead” if the opposition takes “two steps forward”.

Shah also said there are certain issues which are above politics and even former prime minister Indira Gandhi had refused to discuss domestic politics in foreign land.

“Let the two sides sit before the Speaker and discuss. They should come two steps forward and we will go two steps ahead. Then Parliament will start running. But you just hold the press conference and do nothing, it can’t go like that,” he said.

The home minister said a parliamentary system can’t run with only treasury or only opposition as both have to talk to each other.

‘Modi to become PM for 3rd consecutive term in 2024’

Shah said the BJP-led NDA will form government again in 2024 and Narendra Modi will become prime minister for a third consecutive term. Shah also said ever since the Modi government came to power, issues related to three hotspots — Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeast and Naxal — were by and large resolved.

Since a surgical strike was carried out against terrorists inside Pakistan, no foreign power dared to interfere in the internal affairs of the country, the home minister said.

Asked about the number of seats the NDA will get in the 2024 general elections, the minister said it would be more than 2019. The BJP got 303 seats in the 2019 general elections and the NDA got over 350 seats out of the total 543 Lok Sabha constituencies.