New Delhi: Not satisfied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reply to the allegations made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against the BJP government in the wake of the Hindenburg report on Adani Group, the main opposition party on Wednesday asked him to clear his stand over the issue. Congress posted a picture on its official Twitter handle along with a caption: “Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai.” The tweet showed Rahul Gandhi holding an old picture of PM Modi spending time with industrialist Gautam Adani.


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Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament, Rahul Gandhi once again alleged that the Prime Minister was protecting Gautam Adani as he did not order an inquiry into the allegations levelled against the industrialist by the US-based research firm.


Gandhi said the prime minister did not answer the questions he had posed to him. "I am not satisfied, but it reveals the truth. There was no talk of an inquiry. If he is not a friend, then he should have agreed to an inquiry. There was no probe into shell companies in defence sector and benami money is changing hands, but the prime minister did not say anything on that.


"It is clear that the prime minister is protecting him," Gandhi told reporters after the prime minister's reply to the motion of thanks on the President's address. "He (PM) is surely trying to protect him (Adani) and I understand this and there are reasons for it," he also said.


The Congress MP said this is an issue of national security and concerns the country's infrastructure and the prime minister should have said that there will be a probe into the allegations. "This is a very big scam. He did not even say that. He (PM) is surely trying to protect him (Adani) and I understand this and there are reasons for it," he said.


Asked if he got the answers to his questions, the former Congress chief said, "I did not get any reply from the prime minister to my questions." "The prime minister was shell-shocked. He was in shock and there was no answer. I have not asked any complicated questions. I only asked how many times he (Adani) has gone with you. How many times did he meet you? I posed simple questions but got no answers," he said. "I am not satisfied, but it reveals the truth," he said when asked if he was satisfied with the prime minister's reply.


 



 


AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh described the Prime Minister's reply in Parliament as diversionary and said there was not even a word on his "links" with his favourite "businessmen".


In a stinging attack on the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier said the trust reposed by crores of people was his protective shield which cannot be breached by abuse and allegations from his detractors. Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in Lok Sabha, PM Modi said the world was looking at India with hope amid instability in some parts of the globe due to the once-in-a-century pandemic and conflicts.


"But some people who are neck deep in frustration refuse to accept India's growth story. They cannot see the achievements of 140 crore Indians," PM Modi said, targeting the Opposition. The Prime Minister said people know Modi has come to their help in times of crisis. "How will they agree with your abuses and allegations," he told the Opposition. The Prime Minister said the Opposition had wasted the past nine years in levelling baseless allegations instead of indulging in constructive criticism.