New Delhi [India], March 15 : Reiterating the Opposition's demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Ad issue, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said they want to know how businessman Gautam Ad "made crores of rupees within 2.5 years."
Talking to , Mallikarjun Kharge said, "All of us are going to meet the Director of ED to submit a memorandum into Ad's scam. But the Government is not letting us anywhere near Vijay Chowk. They have stopped us. There is a scam of lakhs of Rupees. LIC, SBI and other banks are destroyed".
The Congress national president said that there should be an inquiry in the Ad issue.
Attacking the Centre further, Kharge said, "The government is giving money to one man to purchase government properties. PM is encouraging someone who had fewer assets earlier but now expanded to Rs 13 Lakhs Crores worth of assets. How did it happen? Who is responsible? Who is giving the money? There should be an inquiry. What is the relation between PM Modi and Ad?"
The Leader of Opposition in the Upper House further alleged that the government wants to "suppress" their voices.
"We all MPs from 17-18 political parties are here and we want to know how Ad made lakhs and crores of rupees within 2.5 years? They have stopped us here. We are 200 and there are 2000 police personnel here, so they want to suppress our voices," Kharge further said.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also attacked the Centre and said that a JPC probe will "expose" BJP.
"We demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for investigation of Ad issue. However, the BJP doesn't want a JPC as it will bring out the corruption and expose their real face. They wanted a JPC till they were in opposition, now they are scared," the Congress leader said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh also hit out at the centre stating, "ED should register an FIR and start probing the matter. Why is the Ad issue not being investigated? PM Modi is India's Prime Minister or Ad's Prime Minister? The nation wants to know".
Amid the ongoing second phase of the Parliament Budget Session, leaders of several opposition parties on Wednesday afternoon started a protest march from the Parliament to Enforcement Directorate (ED) office here.
Notably, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) are not participating in the protest march.
Heavy security has been deployed at the Vijay Chowk in wake of the protest march by the leaders of the Opposition parties.
The police made announcements at Vijay Chowk and told the marching Opposition MPs not to march ahead as Section 144 CrPC is imposed and no agitation is allowed in the area.
Earlier today, several Opposition MPs, gathered for a meeting over the Ad Group issue at the Rajya Sabha leader of the opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's Parliament chamber.
The Opposition has been raising the Ad issue and demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Hindenburg-Ad report.
The second leg of the Budget session of Parliament resumed after a month-long break on Monday. The recess was for enabling the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committees to examine the demands for grants and make reports relating to their ministries or departments.
The Parliament has also faced repeated disruptions amid the protest and ruckus in the house over regular protests by the Opposition.
Earlier on Monday, 16 parties participated in the Opposition party leaders' meeting chaired by Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament.
Indian National Congress; Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Samajwadi Party; Janata Dal (United); Aam Admi Party; Communist Party of India (Marxist); Kerala Congress; Nationalist Congress Party; Communist Party of India; Indian Union Muslim League; Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray); Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam; Rashtriya Janata Dal; Jharkhand Mukti Morcha; Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the NC participated in the meeting.
The concerned report from US-based short-seller firm Hindenburg Research surfaced on January 24 claiming that the Ad Group had weak business fundamentals, and was involved in stock mpulation and accounting fraud, among others.
It is pertinent to mention that the Supreme Court set up an expert committee on the issue arising from the Hindenburg Research report on Ad Group compes. The committee will consist of six members, headed by former apex court judge Justice AM Sapre.
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