Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the wealth of “a close friend” of the prime minister increased manifold in the last few years and sought answers from the government. He referred to the Hindenburg Research report on the industrial house in his speech.
“In 2014, the prime minister said something, call it an important assertion or a jumla- Na Khaunga, naa khaane dunga (will neither take kickbacks, nor allow anybody to take it). But I want to ask why he is ‘feeding’ a select few industrialists. The wealth of a close friend of Modi increased by 13 times in 2.5 years. In 2014, his wealth was Rs 50,000 Crore. By 2019 it increased to Rs 1 Lakh Crore. What magic happened that suddenly in just 2 years his wealth increased to Rs 12 Lakh Crore? I don’t understand how such fast development took place- was this a favor due to the friendship?” Kharge said.
Prime Minister Modi was present in the House when Kharge was speaking. The Treasury Bench members protested his remarks.
Leader of the House Piyush Goyal demanded that Kharge substantiate his charge with proof and alleged the Congress leader is talking about the purported wealth of the industrialist based on the change in value of shares. He termed the charges “completely baseless”.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar cautioned Kharge that he should not make charges without authenticating them.
When Kharge mentioned the Hindenburg Research report, Dhankar said the leader cannot believe “any report coming from any corner of the world”.Further in his speech, Kharge referred to a case where a farmer was not issued a no-dues certificate by SBI as he had not paid 31 paise he owed the bank. On the other hand, this industrialist- Kharge said- is looting crores of rupees.
The LoP pressed for a JPC probe, saying it will clear the air on the issue. He promised to felicitate the industrialist if he comes out clean in the JPC probe. Kharge said a parliamentary probe is justified as democratic institutions are under attack in this government, and agencies like ED and CBI have been weaponized. He also recalled a statement of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee asking Modi- then chief minister of Gujarat- to follow “rajdharma”.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman countered this, alleging that Kharge is selectively reading Vajpayee’s remarks. She maintained that the former PM had further said that Modi is following “rajdharma”.
In a charged debate full of allegations and counter-allegations, Kharge said the Dalits are not being given respect as they are not allowed to enter temples and discriminated against in other ways. He also charged the Modi government with reducing every issue to a Hindu-Muslim binary.
“I want to ask the prime minister- you can create fear in anybody, then why are you not scaring those who engage in hate-mongering? One stern look from you and the person will get the message… But this situation has arisen due to you becoming silent, acting as a ‘mauni baba’,” Kharge said.
Vice President Dhankar also made some important observations, going beyond asking both sides to submit evidence for the charges they had made.
“I cannot allow this House to become a platform for free fall of information. Using these loose expressions, casting aspersions without any basis…. The House has a transparent, accountable and robust mechanism,” he said.
Dhankar also recited an Urdu couplet by Ghalib to point out that the Opposition may be responsible for some of the wrongdoings but is blaming the government. He also countered Kharge’s remarks on a recent BBC documentary, saying the British PM himself had refuted the charges made in it.
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