West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s remark came days after Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested and charged with sedition in Bangladesh.

Sending a clear message that it is not with the main opposition Congress in disrupting Parliament over the Adani indictment issue, Trinamool Congress today skipped the meeting of INDIA bloc leaders at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s chamber today.

The Congress has been demanding that all business in the House be suspended for a discussion on the US Department of Justice indictment against directors of Adani Green. This morning too, Congress MP Manickam Tagore gave an Adjournment Motion notice in Lok Sabha to discuss the Adani issue. However, MPs of multiple parties, including the Congress, have sought discussions on various pressing issues such as the damage due to Cyclone Fengal, the violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal over a mosque’s survey, the targeting of ISKCON monks in Bangladesh and delay in procurement of paddy in Punjab.

The Adani Group has maintained that Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and senior executive Vneet Jaain are clear of bribery charges. Gautam Adani has said this is not a challenge the group has faced for the first time and stressed that “every attack makes us stronger”.

Chaos and repeated adjournments have blocked Parliamentary proceedings for several days now. The session ends on December 20.

Earlier, Trinamool general secretary and the party’s Number 2 leader Abhishek Banerjee had made it clear that Trinamool would prioritise issues of Bengal during the Winter Session. “Our stand is very clear. We will give priority to the issues of Bengal first. The Centre has blocked Bengal’s dues. We want discussions in Parliament on these issues. Go and ask Congress. I have said we will prioritise Bengal’s issues. What’s their stand?”

Earlier, senior Trinamool MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said the party does not want the Parliament to be disrupted. “We want Parliament to run. We don’t want to disrupt the House on just one issue. We will hold this government accountable on multiple counts,” she said.

The Trinamool had earlier said that it would raise the ongoing unrest in Manipur during the Winter Session of Parliament and seek urgent actions by the Centre to bring peace to the Northeast state.

(Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.)

Expressing surprise at DMK leader Senthil Balaji’s reinstatement as Tamil Nadu minister shortly after he was granted bail in a corruption case, the Supreme Court today said anyone will get the impression that the witnesses against the politician will be under pressure.

The court was hearing a petition that sought recall of the judgment granting bail to the DMK leader. The bench refused to interfere on merits because the Senthil Balaji bail order has benefited others seeking relief. The court said it would limit the petition’s scope to whether witnesses against Mr Balaji were under pressure.

“We grant bail and the next day you go and become Minister, anybody will be bound under the impression that now with your position as a senior Cabinet Minister witnesses will be under pressure. What is this going on?” Justice AS Oka asked. Mr Balaji’s counsel sought time to return with instructions and the matter was posted for December 13.

“…the current application is based on the apprehension that immediately after we enlarged the respondent no. 2 (Balaji) on bail by order dated 26 September, 2024 the second respondent has been appointed as a Cabinet Minister… the apprehension is that considering the seriousness of allegations against the second respondent in the predicate offences, the witnesses may not be in the frame of mind to depose against the second respondent who is holding the position of cabinet minister… This is the only aspect on which prima facie we are inclined to consider the application, and while making it clear that there is no reason to interfere with the judgment on merits and adjudication of the application remains confined to the aforesaid,” the bench said.

Forty-nine-year-old Senthil Balaji is a four-term MLA who started his political career with the DMK, then switched to the AIADMK before returning to the DMK. He was arrested in June last year in connection with corruption allegations during his tenure as Tamil Nadu transport minister in the J Jayalalithaa government from 2011 to 2015. Eight months after the Enforcement Directorate arrested him, he resigned as minister. Days after he was released on bail in September, the MK Stalin government reinstated him as minister with key portfolios of electricity, excise and prohibition.

Welcoming the bail relief to Mr Balaji, DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had accused the BJP of using the Enforcement Directorate to oppress political opponents. “Even during ‘Emergency’ imprisonment wasn’t this long. They thought they could shake up Senthil Balaji’s determination,” he wrote.