NCP chief Sharad Pawar. (Express Archives) In what appears to be a U-turn from his opposition to a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into allegations levelled against the Adani Group by short-selling firm Hindenburg, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said Tuesday that he would not oppose a JPC for the sake of Opposition unity.
“If our friends in Opposition parties insist on a JPC probe, then for the sake of Opposition unity, we will not oppose it. We will not agree with their view, but to ensure our stand does not harm the Opposition unity, we will not insist on it (JPC probe),” Pawar told Marathi news channel ABP Majha.
The NCP chief caused a stir in Opposition ranks on Friday after he said that he was against a JPC probe on the issue and that Adani was being targeted. On Sunday, Pawar softened his stand while stating that the BJP will enjoy a majority in the committee while the Opposition will be in minority.
“The strength of the JPC will be based on the strength of political parties in Parliament. BJP has over 200 MPs and will have maximum members in a 21-member JPC. The Opposition will have 5-6 members. Will such a small number be able to play an effective role? But still, if the Opposition parties insist on a JPC probe, I will have no objection to it,” he said in the latest interview.
Earlier, he had said that he did not agree with stalling of Parliament by the Congress-led Opposition on the matter. The Hindenburg report published on January 24 accused the Adani Group of “brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud”. It claimed that the group companies had “substantial debt” including pledging shares of their inflated stock for loans, putting the entire group on “precarious financial footing”.