Even as the ruling BJP and the opposition blamed each other for the virtual washout of the second half of Parliament's Budget session with the latter refusing to budge from its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani issue, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar observed that the issue was given undue importance in the Parliament.
He also defended Gautam Adani-led conglomerate over the US-based short seller Hindenburg Research's allegations, saying the group was "targeted."
"Such statements (like Hindenburg's report) were given by other individuals too earlier and there was a ruckus in parliament for a few days but this time out of proportion importance was given to the issue," the NCP chief told NDTV.
He said when such a group raises issues that cause worries across the country, the cost is borne by the country's economy. "We cannot disregard these things. It seems this was targeted," he was quoted as saying, adding, "An individual industrial group of the country was targeted, that is what it seems. If they have done anything wrong, there should be an inquiry."
He pointed out that a JPC probe is not significant as the truth can't come out if the ruling party forms a probe panel that has majority of members from the same party.
"If the Supreme Court, who no one can influence, if they were to conduct the inquiry, then there was a better chance of the truth coming to light. So, after the Supreme Court announced an inquiry, there was no significance of a JPC probe. It was not needed," he said.
He said he is against the opposition, especially the Congress, targeting the businessmen in the country, and listed the contributions made by Ambani to the country. "Today, Ambani has contributed in the petrochemical sector, does the country not need it? In the field of electricity, Adani has contributed. Does the country not need electricity? These are people who take up such responsibility and work for the name of the country. If they have done wrong, you attack, but they have created this infrastructure, to criticise them does not feel right to me," NDTV quoted him as saying.
