Rahul Gandhi, Opposition MPs offer red roses & tricolours to BJP leaders amid Parliament impasse

New Delhi: Several opposition MPs greeted their BJP counterparts in the Parliament premises with tricolours in one hand and red roses in the other on Wednesday. They appealed to the ruling party to ensure the smooth functioning of the House and facilitate discussions on all issues, including the Adani controversy. This gesture marked the latest in a series of unconventional daily demonstrations led by the Congress over the Adani issue.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also offered the tricolour in the form of a card to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh when the latter was entering the main Parliament building. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, MPs from the Congress, DMK, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Left parties, among others, stood in front of the Makar Dwar steps with most of them carrying a small tricolour card and a red rose. Many MPs also carried placards with slogans 'Don't let the country be sold'.

This comes a day after MPs carried dark blue 'jholas' with caricatures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani printed on one side and "Modi-Adani Bhai-Bhai" written on the obverse.

They had on Tuesday raised slogans against the alleged collusion between Modi and Adani and demanded a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the matter. On Monday, leaders of some INDIA bloc parties had protested in the Parliament complex over the Adani row, with Rahul Gandhi conducting a mock "interview" over the issue with Congress members wearing masks of Modi and Adani.

The opposition protests on the Adani issue have been taking place in Parliament complex since the start of the Winter session. The Congress and some other opposition parties have been demanding a JPC probe following the indictment of Adani and other company officials in a US court.

The Congress has said Adani's indictment "vindicates" its demand for a JPC probe into the various "scams" involving the billionaire industrialist's conglomerate. Rahul Gandhi has sought Adani's immediate arrest. The Adani Group has dismissed all allegations as "baseless".