The united opposition's INDIA (Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance) coalition has gathered for the third round of meeting in Mumbai on Thursday - August 31 and this political adda has begun with a press conference from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has scathingly slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his affair with business tycoon Gautam Adani and waged fresh allegations against the latter over his investments.

While addressing the presser in Mumbai, Rahul Gandhi has demanded that a Joint Parliamentary Committee should be formed and a thorough investgation should be conducted to probe the allegations against the Adani group. He said, "I don't understand why the Prime Minister is not forcing an investigation. Why is he quiet? Why doesn't he say that he is going to make sure that this issue is investigated and the people who are responsible are put behind bars? This is raising a very serious question on the Indian Prime Minister just before the G20 leaders come here." 

He quoted the allegations alleged by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and alleged that the opaque funds from Mauritius were used to funnel substantial investments into the publicity traded stocks of the Adani Group, purpotedly masking the involvement of business partners associated with the Adani family. The Congress leader had urged the Prime Minister to come clean from the issue before the world leaders arrive for the G20 summit, which will be held in New Delhi on September 9 and 10. 

Rahul Gandhi said, "They (G20 leaders) are going to be asking what is this special company that is owned by a gentleman close to the Prime Minister and why is it that in an economy like India this gentleman is being given a free ride?" The Congress leader has been a staunch critic of Prime Minister Modi in several issues, particularly questioning his affair with Adani, whose wealth had skyrocketed during the Modi-led BJP regime. 

Rahul Gandhi had demanded the Modi regime to divulge the Adani investments in the Parliament. As Rahul Gandhi has arrived for the third meeting of INDIA coalition, which is first after revoking the disqualification of his Lok Sabha membership, he has again taken the Modi-Adani affair in his hands even as the parties prepare to vye in crucial elections. In his address, Rahul Gandhi further alleged that the members of the Adani family acquired stocks in the Adani Group's own companies to support its share prices. 

"The mastermind behind this is a gentleman called Vinod Adani who is the brother of Gautam Adani. There are two other people who are involved in this round-tripping of money. One is a gentleman called Nasser Ali Shaban Ahli and another is a Chinese gentleman called Chang Chung-Ling. Why are these two foreign nationals being allowed to play with the valuation of one of the companies that controls almost all of Indian infrastructure?", Rahul Gandhi added. He also said, "These matters are very close to the Prime Minister. Whenever you raise the Adani matter, he gets very uncomfortable." 

What we can expect from this third INDIA meet-up? 

The third round of meeting will be held for two days and while it has been strongly speculated that the opposition alliance would announce their Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the reports say such an announcement is unlikely, though Rahul Gandhi holds a bright prospect to win the candidacy. As the parties would discuss about moving forward, we can expect a decision to hold joint rallies and campaigns. 

As the opposition parties are determined to play an united offensive against the BJP regime and to defeat the latter in the Lok Sabha polls, the leaders would discuss about holding joint rallies and campaigns in the coming months. According to reports, such a decision to hold joint rallies would establish the alliance as a united force and also send a message to the people what the coalition is fighting for. 

Moreover, it is also expected that during the Mumbai meeting, the parties will finalise the names for an 11-member coordination committee, which will have members from the various parties in the alliance. We can also expect the naming of a convenor for the alliance. The meeting will be hosted by the Grand Hyatt hotel in Mumbai and on Friday- September 1, the leaders will gather for a photo session and they will also unveil the logo for the INDIA coalition.