The Congress and the BJP engaged in a major slugfest regarding the Adani bribery case after the Adani Group asserted that the billionaire has not been charged with corruption in the US indictment. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned as it witnessed stormy scenes after multiple opposition leaders gave notice for discussion on the bribery case, suspending all other business.

Speaking to the media in the Parliament complex, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi repeated his call for Adani’s arrest, mentioning that the industrialist would never accept the charges mentioned by US prosecutors. He claimed that hundreds of people are being arrested on tiny charges. Mentioning that Adani has been indicted in the United States for thousands of crores, Rahul Gandhi demanded that he should be in jail. He further claimed that the government is protecting him.

Previous week, a New York court indicted Gautam Adani and his nephew for allegedly promising Rs 2,029 crore of bribes to state government officials in India for securing solar power contracts between 2020-2024. However, the Adani Group as well as former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi have claimed Adani has not been named in key bribery or obstruction of justice charges in the indictment.

Reacting to former AG Mukul Rohatgi’s claim, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the Modani ecosystem was attempting damage control through denial. The Congress leader asserted that the Modani ecosystem has let loose big legal cannons this morning, describing that the laughable attempt cannot dilute the seriousness of the charges levelled by US agencies.

Jairam Ramesh also called on the ED, CBI, and SEBI to investigate the Adani Group’s dealings rather than act as tools of a corrupt political-business nexus. He noted that this is the moment of reckoning for the institutions and the Indians who occupy those offices. He added that history will neither forgive nor forget this moment.

Slamming the Congress leader, Raebareli MP, BJP national spokesperson Tom Vadakkan accused the Congress of doing US investor George Soros’s bidding. He said that this is not an attack by the Congress but a Soros script being enacted in India. Speaking to a news publication, he said that the US administration has also realised that this is a case that has been funded by Soros, a script that is outside India to defeat India economically.

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the RSS of reinforcing barriers that obstruct the paths of Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs. 

Addressing the Samvidhan Rakshak Abhiyaan (Save Constitution Campaign) event at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi, the Senior Congress leader said that while the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government made efforts to dismantle these barriers, it did not weaken the wall to the extent it should have.

Rahul Gandhi further said that he can guarantee that PM Modi has not read the Constitution. He continued that if the Prime Minister had read the Constitution, that he would not do what he does daily. The Leader of Opposition asserted that the Constitution is not merely a document but embodies India’s values of truth and non-violence, cultivated over thousands of years.

He also pointed out that the country’s whole system is pitted against Dalits, Adivasis, and backward class people, mentioning that a wall stands in the way of Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs, and PM Modi along with the RSS are strengthening that wall by adding cement to it.

The Congress leader also reflected on the UPA’s initiatives, such as MGNREGA and the Right to Food, which he said aimed to weaken these barriers. The BJP are strengthening that wall by adding concrete, he continued.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also praised the ongoing caste census in Telangana as a significant step forward, promising that the Congress will do the same wherever it comes to power.

Additionally, Rahul Gandhi also said that many want to pursue careers in engineering or media, but systemic barriers often deny them opportunities. He added that today, there is hardly any representation of backward communities in media ownership or among anchors, which reflects the skewed opportunities available to them.

Describing the Constitution as a tool for justice, Rahul Gandhi called for a renewed focus on its values, which he said were being undermined. He mentioned that the entire system in this country is working against Dalits, Adivasis, and backward-class people, and it is their responsibility to restore the vision of the Constitution.

The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday expressed concern over the arrest and denial of bail to Chinmoy Krishna Das, spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote. Issuing an official statement, the Ministry said that this incident comes amid a series of attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh, including arson, looting, theft, vandalism and desecration of religious sites.

Chinmoy Krishna Das, Bangladeshi Hindu monk was arrested on charges of sedition, and his bail application was rejected by the Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Court. Reportedly, the court noted that the police did not request Das’s remand, and directed his transfer to judicial custody. Furthermore, it also directed that the monk be granted all religious privileges during his detention.

The MEA in its statement urged the Bangladesh authorities to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all minorities, including their right of freedom of peaceful assembly and expression. India also pointed out that the perpetrators of these acts remain at large, while charges have been pressed against Das for peacefully voicing demands. It added that the ministry has noted with deep concern the arrest and denial of bail to Shri Chinmoy Krishna Das.

As per Bangladeshi media reports, Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu was arrested on charges of disrespecting the Bangladeshi flag during a rally he addressed in October. The President of Pundarik Dham in Bangladesh, was one of the 18 charged with sedition over the hoisting of a saffron flag in Bangladesh. Reports said he had organised multiple rallies in Bangladesh to condemn what the protestors called atrocities against fellow devotees.

Meanwhile, Hindus in West Bengal have announced plans to protest and block the Petrapole Border if bail is not granted to ISKCON’s Chinmoy Das. Furthermore, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said that the party would hold protests today and tomorrow in front of the West Bengal Assembly over the situation in Bangladesh. A torch rally is also planned for this evening.