The Winter Session of Parliament, commencing Monday, is set to witness heated debates as the opposition targets the government over allegations of bribery involving the Adani Group. The issue is likely to dominate proceedings, with the Congress and other opposition parties demanding priority discussions on the matter.
At an all-party meeting on Sunday, opposition leaders urged the Centre to allow a detailed debate on the allegations made by US prosecutors. They accused billionaire Gautam Adani’s conglomerate of paying $265 million (approximately ₹2,200 crore) in bribes to Indian officials for favorable solar power contracts across four states. The Adani Group has denied the accusations, calling them baseless and asserting compliance with all laws.
Gaurav Gogoi, Deputy Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, described the matter as a scam, stating, “This concerns Indian institutions and investors. The government must not ignore or reject our demand on technical grounds.” Apart from the Adani issue, the opposition has flagged concerns over the Manipur unrest and other pressing issues for discussion during the session.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju emphasized the government’s intent for smooth proceedings and stated that discussions and bills would be determined by the respective parliamentary committees with Chairpersons’ consent. The Winter Session, running from November 25 to December 20, has 16 bills listed for consideration.
The all-party meeting, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, saw participation from 42 leaders representing 30 parties, including BJP President J.P. Nadda, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, and Akali Dal’s Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
As tensions escalate, the session promises to be a contentious one, with the opposition poised to corner the government over the Adani bribery allegations and other critical issues.
