Cong warns of stir if JPC demand not met; BJP blames Oppn for economic chaos

As the political slugfest continued over the allegations in the Hindenburg Research report, the BJP on Monday launched a blistering attack on the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing them of attempting to spread economic anarchy in the country by raising questions about the integrity of Indian stock markets based on the latest allegations made by the US short-seller.

The Congress warned of a nationwide stir if a JPC probe is not initiated.

Addressing a press conference, former Union minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “We expected that after being ousted from power for the third time, these people [Congress] would not use the toolkit. Hindenburg’s report came out on Saturday, there was an uproar on Sunday, and the capital market was destabilised on Monday.”

Prasad’s remarks came after Hindenburg Research, citing whistleblower documents, claimed in a report that SEBI chief Madhabi Puri Buch and her husband held stakes in an offshore fund where a substantial amount of money was invested by associates of Vinod Adani, brother of Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani.

Prasad suggested that there was something suspicious about the timing of the latest allegations, stating: “In July, Hindenburg received a [show cause] notice from SEBI. Instead of responding to this notice, Hindenburg has made a baseless attack. SEBI has responded. The SEBI chairman has also responded.”

Furthermore, Prasad alleged that American billionaire philanthropist George Soros is the main investor in Hindenburg, implying a larger conspiracy. He also accused Rahul Gandhi of harbouring a “pathological hatred” towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi.