Opposition leaders take out protest march from Parliament to ED office on Adani issue

New Delhi [India], March 15 : Amid the ongoing 2nd 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.

The Opposition leaders are going to hand over a complaint to the probe agency on the Ad issue.

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.

Police were making announcements at Vijay Chowk and informed the marching Opposition MPs to not 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.