Hindenburg row: Cong to launch nation-wide stir on Aug 22, demanding JPC probe

New Delhi: While Hindenburg Research’s ‘big’ revelations turned out to be a damp squib, the Congress is not in a mood to relent and is set to corner the Modi government over US-based agency’s ‘findings’, in relation to Security and Exchanges Board of India (SEBI) chief.

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Tuesday announced the party’s decision to hold nationwide agitation on August 22 to press its two demands – a Joint Parliamentary probe (JPC) into Hindenburg charges and the resignation of SEBI chief Madhabi Puri.

He stated that the party workers will gherao the ED offices in all state capitals, during its nationwide stir and added that since financial market regulators have been severely compromised, nothing less than a JPC probe will do justice.

Sharing the details of the Congress meeting, attended by AICC General Secretaries, state in-charges and PCC presidents, he said that both Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi strongly criticised the ‘collusion’ between the market regulator and the leading conglomerate.

The US-based short seller on August 10 alleged that SEBI chairperson Madhabi Puri and her husband Dhaval Buch had stakes in foreign offshore funds of the business behemoth.

This sparked a major political furore and saw INDIA bloc and BJP engaging in a bitter barb trade. Congress latched on to the allegations and accused the Centre of compromising the nation's financial institutions while the BJP rejected the charges, claiming that the grand old party conspired with the foreign forces to disrupt the Indian stock markets and create financial instability.

Rahul Gandhi in a recent video message had asked why the SEBI chairman didn’t resign after the ‘damning’ report and why she along with the Prime Minister should not be held accountable to lakhs of investors.

SEBI chief and her husband dismissed the charges as baseless and malicious and said that it was a blatant attempt, aimed at their ‘character assassination’.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh further told the newsmen that the coming days will see the Congress launching a mega mobilisation campaign on three key issues – JPC probe, respect for the Constitution and caste-based survey.

“The massive campaign will see party workers across the country, raising their voice against the social and economic injustices being done to the countrymen,” he said.