Both houses of Parliament were adjourned on Monday after Opposition members disrupted proceedings over several issues, including the Adani indictment, the recent violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal, and the ongoing conflict in Manipur.

The first week of the winter session, which began on November 25, had been unproductive due to protests over these topics. The second week also began on a similar note, with little progress in the discussions.

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s relentless focus on the Adani issue is beginning to cause discomfort within the INDIA alliance. His one-point agenda of highlighting allegations against Adani is seen by many within the bloc as a growing liability.

On Tuesday, the Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), a key member of the INDIA bloc, skipped a meeting of the alliance’s leaders at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s office. The TMC had hoped to address several issues in Parliament, including inflation, unemployment, the economic slowdown, and the situation in Bangladesh, alongside the unrest in Manipur. However, Congress insisted on limiting discussions to the indictment of Adani by the United States, which has triggered political debate.

Congress has demanded that Parliament suspend all business to discuss the U.S. Department of Justice’s indictment of Adani Green’s directors in an alleged bribery case. On Monday, Congress MP Manickam Tagore gave notice for an Adjournment Motion in the Lok Sabha, urging a debate on the issue.

However, members of the INDIA bloc feel that Rahul Gandhi’s focus on Adani may lead to a washout of the Winter session, enabling the BJP-led NDA to avoid scrutiny on important issues that affect the public. Many within the alliance believe that the Adani issue does not resonate with the public and is, in fact, alienating key business groups and the middle class, who view the Congress’s attacks on Adani as politically motivated due to his perceived closeness to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Earlier, it was reported that Rahul Gandhi’s strong stance on Adani negatively impacted the Congress in Maharashtra, where the party saw a significant loss.

Interestingly, while Rahul has been quoting the U.S. Department of Justice’s credibility in his attacks on Adani, U.S. President Joe Biden recently pardoned his son Hunter Biden, who faced federal charges. Biden defended his decision, stating that his son was unfairly targeted, echoing concerns about political influence over the justice system.

As discussed earlier, there are suggestions that Adani may be facing legal challenges due to business and political factors, as political narratives can often shape legal outcomes, as seen in the Biden case.

Unless Rahul Gandhi and Congress shift their focus to more pressing national issues, there are concerns that more members of the INDIA bloc may begin distancing themselves from this ongoing political strategy.