Bihar Congress stages protest over Adani issues, Manipur violence

PATNA: Congress workers in Bihar on Wednesday took out a "Raj Bhavan March" to press their demands for action against business tycoon Gautam Adani, on whom charges of financial irregularities have been slapped by US prosecutors.

Led by former Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president Kaukab Qadri, the party workers also raised slogans voicing concern over ethnic violence in Manipur.

The procession, which began at the Sadaqat Ashram, the BPCC headquarters, was stopped by police a kilometre ahead of Raj Bhavan.

The Congress workers were told that they could not be allowed to venture into the prohibited area, following which they agreed to send a delegation to Raj Bhavan with the party's memorandum addressed to Governor Rajendra Arlekar.

A seven-member delegation led by Qadri handed over a memorandum to a Raj Bhavan official since the governor was not in town, a party leader said.

In the memorandum, a demand has been made for a joint parliamentary committee to look into the allegations against Adani, which had allegedly "caused us loss of credibility before investors from abroad".

Adani group had denied charges of paying bribe to secure favourable terms for solar power contracts, saying the allegations by US prosecutors are baseless and the conglomerate was compliant with all laws.

The memorandum also accused the Narendra Modi government of "indifference" over the situation in Manipur, pointing out that the prime minister has "not even once" toured the restive northeastern state.