Parliament highlights: LS, RS adjourned for the day as uproar over Rahul Gandhi's London remark continues

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday, demanding Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue, said they want to know how businessman Gautam Adani "made crores of rupees within 2.5 years." 

"A leading newspaper of the country has revealed the co-ownership of a dubious Mauritius-based company with a firm of Adani Group. This firm of Adani Group has important contracts in ISRO-DRDO and the defense sector," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi. She was referring to a report in The Indian Express claimed that ELARA India Opportunities Fund (Elara IOF), a venture capital fund managed by Elara Capital, is one of the top four entities registered in Mauritius that holds shares predominantly in Adani Group companies, PTI reported.

India's democracy is not in peril but the Congress party has been brought to "political perish" by the people for the kind of behaviour its leader Rahul Gandhi exhibited overseas, Union minister Smriti Irani said on Wednesday.

The Opposition's letter slammed the ED for "political favouritism" and overlooking several other high-profile cases linked directly or indirectly with the Adani group like the 3000 Kg Mundra Port drug bust, Dharavi redevelopment, the Jharkhand Power discounts, Special Economic Zone (SEZ) policy among other allegations.

"I am getting calls from the diaspora that Rahul Gandhi insulted the country. He has spoken against the speaker. He has levelled allegations against institutions. India is a sovereign country and asking other countries to intervene is an insult," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said Wednesday as he sought an apology from Gandhi for his democracy remarks.

"Elected MPs were stopped from going to the ED office. We wanted to peacefully give them the memorandum. But ED denied saying that they weren't informed despite the fact that we informed it earlier. Govt stopped us before Vijay Chowk," alleged Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

"What the government is doing in Parliament is a proof that democracy in the country is being undermined," Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate told reporters on Wednesday, accusing the Modi government of "undermining and weakening" the country's democracy to save a businessman.

Following heavy protests from both sides, Lok Sabha proceedings was adjourned till 11 am on Thursday.

Rajya Sabha adjourned till Thursday 11 am.

Congress president and Leader of Opposition Kharge raises demand to investigate Adani issue in Rajya Sabha.

"We are constrained to file this official complaint so that the ED is compelled to investigate a relationship that has serious implications not just for our economy but most importantly, our democracy. This case involves serious and far-reaching charges of corporate fraud, political corruption, stock-price manipulation through fraudulent means, and the misuse/monopolization of public resources to benefit a single corporate group," reads the letter to ED.

“We will go one by one and meet the ED and lodge our complaints. If ED will not lodge the complaint they will be exposed. Then we will release that complaint to you and create a ruckus in the Parliament,” says Congress MP, Syed Naseer Hussain, reports ANI.

"We are going back to Parliament and would stage a protest inside Parliament House," Congress deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari said.

Congress deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari said, "We are 200 MPs of opposition parties and were seeking to march to ED office to present a memorandum for a probe into the Adani issue, but we were stopped forcibly by the police."

"Opposition MPs of nearly 18 parties want to give a memorandum to the Enforcement Directorate on the Adani issue, but the government is not allowing us to march forward and the police have stopped us at Vijay Chowk," Kharge told reporters, PTI reported.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) has not participated in the protest march, ANI reports.

Congress president Kharge says, "I want to ask those who are seeking an apology that Modiji went to 5-6 countries and there he (Modi) humiliated our country saying it was a sin to be born in India, now these people same people are curbing freedom of expression".

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate says, “What the government is doing in the House today is a proof that democracy is weakening. You get 18 parts of the elected MP's speech removed, because the names of Modi ji and Adani are coming together. Is this not undermining democracy?”

We want to present our case to ED for detailed investigation into Adani issue, will keep trying to march forward, says Congress president Kharge, reports PTI.

Opposition MPs of nearly 18 parties want to give memo to ED on Adani issue, but govt not allowing us to march ahead, says Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge leading the march, reports PTI.

Delhi Police makes announcements at Vijay Chowk to inform the marching Opposition MPs to not go ahead as Section 144 CrPC is imposed and no agitation is allowed here.

The MPs continue to march.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge says there is no question of apology over Rahul Gandhi's remarks in UK and those demanding so must answer on PM Narendra Modi 'humiliating' people of India with his comments abroad, reports PTI