NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday warned of a nationwide stir if a JPC probe was not initiated into US short-seller Hindenburg’s latest allegations against industrialist Gautam Adani and SEBI chairperson Madhabi Buch even as the BJP dismissed the demand saying it was aimed at undermining the Indian economy.
Drawing a George Soros link to Hindenburg’s allegations, the BJP said the Congress was trying to “create economic anarchy by demanding a JPC probe based on fictitious reports”.
Addressing a press conference, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros, who openly called for regime change in India on the eve of Lok Sabha elections, was the biggest investor in the Hindenburg.
After earlier alleging that Adani was running the “largest con in corporate history”, Hindenburg Research has now claimed that the SEBI chairperson had stakes in offshore funds linked to Adani which was why it went soft on the industrialist while probing the earlier allegations of market manipulation against it.
SEBI yesterday denied the charges and defended Buch saying she recused herself from the issue disclosing conflict of interest.
“What does the Congress want?” Prasad asked today, pointing to a Rahul Gandhi video where the Leader of Opposition is heard saying that small investors were in danger.
“The statement by Rahul is an attempt to crash the stock markets and risk the savings of small investors. The markets, however, are stable and we salute the investors who are not buying the conspiracy theory of the Congress and its toolkit gang,” Prasad said, adding that the BJP would go all over India to “expose the Congress”.
Prasad also asked why Hindenburg Research, instead of responding to a July notice from SEBI in its ongoing probe on the matter, decided to respond with new allegations.
Meanwhile, the Congress threatened to launch a nationwide agitation to press the demand of setting up of a JPC to look into the charges against the SEBI chief in the light of Hindenburg Research’s revelations against her centring on conflict of interest issues.
Describing the allegations as “very serious”, AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal accused the PM of supporting the Adani Group.