Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Monday reminded NCP chief Sharad Pawar that a joint parliamentary committee under him in 2003, when he was a prominent opposition leader, had framed norms for safe drinking water which were stricter than similar rules in the US.Chavan’s remarks came days after Pawar in an interview with NDTV favoured a Supreme Court panel to look into the Hindenburg research report on the Adani group instead of a parliamentary committee demanded by Congress.

Addressing a meeting of Congress Party workers, Chavan suggested that Pawar might have made the statement on JPC at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“In 2003, a joint parliamentary committee was formed under the chairmanship of Sharad Pawar and I was a member of that panel. It was formed because pesticide residues were found in drinking water. Our recommendations helped in regulating the industry and because of it, people are getting clean water for drinking.

“Our norms are stricter than that of the US. A JPC can do a good job, hence we are asking for a JPC on the Adani group,” the former Maharashtra chief minister said.

Taking a swipe, Chavan said he didn’t think Pawar was part of the Bharatiya Janata Party at that time.

Pawar was appointed as the vice chairman of the Disaster Management Authority set up by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Pawar, who was given the rank of a Cabinet minister, was a prominent opposition leader.

Chavan said he was not against Pawar but we need to understand that a JPC is a very powerful parliamentary tool and “we should build pressure for its formation”. “My only objection is about Pawar giving an interview to NDTV channel, owned by the Adani group, and making a statement in favour of its owner. Pawar said Adani Group had been targeted. It is true because thieves have to be targeted,” he said.

Chavan alleged PM Modi did not have courage and would not accept a JPC on the Adani group.

“The government had earlier denied JPC on issues such as the procurement of Rafale jets, note-ban, GST and even the arbitrary implementation of lockdown ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic. I think Modi must have asked someone from the Opposition to make a statement (in favour of Adani). But we need to drop this issue as we need to work together in future,” the Congress leader said.

The Supreme Court has formed a committee to probe the Adani group, but it cannot match the scope of JPC, Chavan added.

“The Hindenburg report is basically pointing fingers at several institutions in India such as SEBI, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and the RBI. We suspect these institutions are compromised. Please take these issues to the common man and keep sensitizing people about it,” he said.