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We’re fighting to save democracy, says Ajay Maken on Congress’ campaign
Reiterating Congress’ demand of a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) over Adani issue, former Union minister Maken said, “Rahul is just a pretext. In reality, they want to protect Modi and Adani”
The Congress’ campaign following Rahul Gandhi’s ‘hasty’ disqualification from the Lok Sabha is meant to safeguard democracy and highlight corruption in the country, senior party leader Ajay Maken said on Tuesday.
Reiterating Congress’ demand of a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) over Adani issue, former Union minister Maken said, “We will put forth entire issue before the people of the country via press conferences. Today, we are holding pressers at four places and on Wednesday, it will be in 34 cities. It is not Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Parliament. We are calling it the disqualification of democracy.”
“Rahul is just a pretext. In reality, they want to protect Modi and Adani,” said Maken, who was in Jammu.
“Look at the sequence of events, which culminated in the hasty disqualification of Rahul -- who raised serious questions on the links between (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and Adani in Parliament. Instead of getting answers, he was disqualified which we see as democracy-disqualified,” he said.
Rahul was on March 23 sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case. The two-year jail term triggered his disqualification as a Lok Sabha member from the date of the verdict.
Flanked by senior party leaders, including Pradesh Congress Committee chief Vikar Rasool Wani, working president Raman Bhalla and chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, Maken said Rahul is not fighting to gain control of power, but to defend the country’s democratic institutions and its people.
“If the main leader of the Opposition cannot speak in the Parliament in a democracy, then where should he speak and where is the democracy left. And, within two days of his disqualification, a notice is served to him to vacate government bungalow,” he said.
Maken pointed out that several former ministers and MPs of the BJP continue to occupy government bungalows for years, including J&K.
“The Congress is clear… it is not Rahul’s fight. We are fighting for democracy, for constitution of JPC in the Parliament. For 30 crore LIC investors whose ₹44,000 crore was invested in Adani Group and for ₹10.5 lakh-crore loss to small investors, whose money was diverted to Adani stocks,” he added.
Maken said the government should respect the joint demand of the Opposition as JPCs were set up twice in the past by previous regimes to make things clear.
“Why are they (BJP) afraid of setting up a JPC despite the fact that it will have the largest number of members in it?” The JPC is a must to expose the connection between Modi and Adani and also to identify the shell companies that are directly linked to national security as there is a possibility of these companies having direct backing from China and Pakistan,” he added.
“We will continue our protest to expose corruption and safeguard the interests of the common citizens, who are becoming victims of crony capitalism. If a JPC could be formed in 1992 and 2001, then why can’t now. Why are they (BJP) shying away from it. About ₹23,000 crore has been invested in Adani Group. We want to want to know whose money it is. It becomes more imperative when Adani Group is into defence and strategic production. We need to know who is investing this ₹23,000 crore in India’s internal sectors like defence and security. Isn’t it Pakistan, China, who may be investing into shell companies and there may be an attempt to indirectly control our strategic and defence sectors,” he claimed.
“Given the sensitivity of the issues, nothing except a JPC is the way out,” Maken added.
