Congress units of various states held protest on Thursday following fresh allegations from Hindenburg Research against SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Buch. Leaders and workers of the Delhi unit of the Congress Party staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Buch and the formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate the Adani issue.
The protest was attended by Delhi Congress Chief Devender Yadav, senior leader Sachin Pilot, Kanhaiya Kumar, and Udit Raj, among others. Pilot emphasised the need for a transparent investigation.
“If you have not done anything wrong, then why not form a Joint Parliamentary Committee?” Pilot said. “The entire nation should understand that the Congress is calling for a fair and transparent investigation through a JPC.”
The Congress has intensified its criticism of the NDA government following fresh allegations from Hindenburg Research against Buch. The report claimed Buch and her husband had stakes in obscure offshore funds allegedly used in the Adani money siphoning scandal. Buch and her husband have denied these allegations, calling them baseless and asserting their finances are an “open book”.
The Adani Group has also dismissed Hindenburg Research’s claims as malicious, asserting it has no commercial ties with Buch or her husband.
Protest in Telangana
In Telangana, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, along with his ministerial colleagues and party legislators, participated in a dharna demanding Buch’s resignation and a JPC probe. Senior Congress leader and former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid also joined the protest.
Protesters, holding placards reading “The Truth Will Prevail,” rallied from Gun Park to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office before staging a dharna in front of the ED office premises.
In Haryana and Punjab, Congress units held separate protests on Thursday. In Haryana, led by Congress Chief Udai Bhan, the party gathered near its sector 9 office in Chandigarh. Ambala MP Varun Chaudhary and Hisar MP Jai Prakash were present. The protesters attempted to march towards the ED office but were stopped by police.
Protests in Punjab, Haryana
In Punjab, Congress President Amrinder Singh Raja Warring led the protest. Demonstrators attempted to march towards the Punjab Governor’s residence and the ED office but were halted by police. Barricades were placed outside the Punjab Congress headquarters, and some party members, including Warring and MLA Barindermeet Singh Pahra, were detained for trying to breach the barricades.
Both Bhan and Warring called for an impartial investigation into the Hindenburg allegations.
Hindenburg protest in UP
In Uttar Pradesh, led by state Congress president Ajay Rai, a large number of party leaders and workers protested outside the Raj Bhavan. Rai said the recent Hindenburg Research report has completely exposed “corruption”.
The Congress’ provincial spokesperson Anshu Awasthi said party workers were marching towards the office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Lucknow but police stopped them near the Raj Bhavan, where they held their demonstration.