Rahul Gandhi stands by UK remarks, Congress firm on Adani probe

• The remarks by the Congress general secretary in-charge communications come amid the logjam in Parliament over Rahul Gandhi's remarks
• Earlier, Home Minister Amit Shah said the current logjam in Parliament can be resolved if the Opposition comes forward for talks
• Ramesh said that it was the treasury benches that forced the adjournments, and not the Opposition

Jairam Ramesh, a senior member of the Congress, stated on Saturday that he does not see a "middle path" to break the impasse in Parliament because the Opposition's demand for a JPC investigation into the Adani issue is "non-negotiable," and the issue of Rahul Gandhi's remarks in the UK apology does not come up.

In an interview, Ramesh claimed the government is spooked by 16 Opposition parties getting together to demand a joint parliamentary probe into the Adani issue and is resorting to a “3D organized effort distort, slander and divert”.

The former Union minister also criticized BJP MP Nishikant Dubey for trying to have Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership terminated due to his comments in the UK, calling it all "intimidation" and an attempt to divert attention away from the genuine problems.

The Congress general secretary in charge of communications made his comments in the midst of a stalemate in Parliament over Gandhi's comments made during his recent visit to the UK, which prevented either house from taking any significant action during the first five days of the second half of the budget session.

Earlier on Friday, Home Minister Amit Shah stated that if the Opposition is willing to engage in dialogue, the current impasse in Parliament can be overcome and that the government will move "two steps forward" if the Opposition does the same.

Ramesh responded, "I don't see any middle path because our demand for a JPC is non-negotiable and the question of an apology does not arise," when asked if there was any chance of resolving the current impasse in Parliament between the BJP and Congress over Rahul Gandhi's demand for an apology and the Congress' request for a JPC investigation into the Adani issue.