Congress demands probe into airport privatisation as part of JPC inquiry into Adani bribery allegations

Party claims the government has ‘offered aviation sector on a platter to a few friends’

Congress leader Syed Naseer Hussain demanded a comprehensive probe into the privatisation of six airports of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) as part of its appeal for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation into the bribery allegation against industrialist Gautam Adani.

This government has given the “aviation sector on a platter to a few friends”, the MP said in Rajya Sabha during a discussion on the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill, 2024.

Also read:Finance Ministry, NITI Aayog guidelines ignored in airport privatisation

The MP said that the AAI should be rechristened as ‘Adani Authority of India’ in view of the monopoly in the airport sector of the Adani Group, which now has eight airports in its kitty. The Rajya Sabha member referred to the privatisation of six AAI airports that were all bagged by the Adani Group in February 2019 after a bidding process.

Referring to The Hindu‘s report on July 28, 2019, the Congress leader asked why were the suggestions of the Department of Economic Affairs and NITI Aayog for not awarding more than two airports to the same entity as well as as prior experience on operations and management of an airport brushed aside by the Public Private Appraisal Committee.

Mr. Hussain also said that after the privatisation of airports, the landing and parking charges had increased exponentially, including at Lucknow airport where he said there was a hike of 418% to 471%.

“After stiff opposition in Kenya, the proposal for awarding an airport to the Adani Group was withdrawn. But in our country when we demand [the same] inside Parliament, no one agrees to an investigation. Agreements are being cancelled in other countries, but in our country they are being awarded contracts over contracts. In the U.S. too, the Adani Group has been indicted over bribery allegations,” the MP said while demanding a “comprehensive” investigation into the privatisation of airports as well as bribery allegations.

BJP MP Laxmikant Bajpai urged the Speaker of the House for certain references to the Prime Minister to be omitted as rules required that a discussion over a Bill should be confined to arguments in support or against the Bill.

BJP President J.P. Nadda too condemned the attempts to malign the Prime Minister and using objectionable language and urged for maintaining the dignity of the House and requested for those comments to be removed from records.

Published - December 03, 2024 10:46 pm IST