BJP using money garnered from paper leaks to fund Jharkhand poll campaign, alleges Soren
Ranchi (PTI): Taking a dig at the central investigative agencies, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday claimed that they were busy probing incidents like "chicken theft" while cases like the examination paper leaks in UP remain untouched at the behest of the BJP.
Soren alleged that the BJP was behind the paper leaks in the states it ruled, and the money it garnered from there was being used to fund its poll campaigns.
"The pomp and show that you are seeing from BJP in Jharkhand elections is all due to the money from paper leaks... ED, CBI, NIA which have started investigating even chicken theft cases these days did not probe paper leaks because it is the BJP that leaks these and with that money, it buys MLAs and MPs post elections," Soren alleged in a post on X.
"Exam papers were leaked in all BJP-ruled states... MP Vyapam scam claimed several lives. In Jharkhand, we made tough law post one paper leak but BJP went to Raj Bhavan terming it a black law," he alleged.
Soren claimed that had he not been "harassed" by the ED and CBI in "false" cases, he would have created several new posts in the government and ensured large-scale recruitments.
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'Madhubi Buch scandal' is not just insider trading, it is case of direct conflict of interest: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Stepping up his attack on SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that India's economic framework is being hollowed out from within by a "cartel of corporate giants", enabled by those meant to guard the country's interests.
The former Congress chief said "the Madhubi Buch scandal" isn't just insider trading but is a revealing case of direct conflict of interest, where powerful regulators are entangled with the very corporations they're supposed to oversee.
Gandhi made the remarks in his post that accompanied a YouTube video, part of a series featuring him and Congress' media and publicity head Pawan Khera, in which the two leaders discuss various conflicts of interest allegations against Buch.
There was no immediate reaction from Buch, who is facing conflict of interest allegations, on the video and the charges.
However, previously the SEBI chief has dismissed allegations of any wrongdoing.
In his post Gandhi said, "India's economic framework is being hollowed out from within by a cartel of corporate giants, enabled by those meant to guard the country's interests."
"The Madhubi Buch scandal isn't just insider trading; it's a revealing case of direct conflict of interest, where powerful regulators are entangled with the very corporations they're supposed to oversee," he said.
"In this episode, we uncover disturbing patterns in SEBI's leadership - how cozy financial ties and rental arrangements with key corporate players have turned watchdogs into allies of cronies," he said.
This is not mere oversight but a coordinated scheme to exploit loopholes, distort regulations, and prioritise corporate profit over public interest, all while ordinary Indians pay the price, Gandhi said.
"We are determined to expose these unethical dealings and reveal how India's institutions have been weaponised to protect privileged cronies.This isn't only about monopolies; it's about safeguarding democracy, fair competition, and the voice of every Indian against a system bent on silencing them," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha asserted.
In the over six-minute video, Khera briefs Gandhi about various conflict of interest allegations against Buch while travelling with him on a flight.
Khera talks about how the Congress exposed the claim that Agora Advisory Pvt Ltd became 'immediately dormant' upon Buch joining SEBI.
She still holds a 99 per cent stake in it, and the company has actively provided consultancy/advisory services, including to Mahindra & Mahindra, Khera tells Gandhi in the video.
He also tells Gandhi that Buch allegedly traded and also invested in Chinese funds.
Khera tells Gandhi that Buch rented a property to Carol Info Services Limited, an affiliate of Wockhardt Limited, from 2018 to 2024. Wockhardt reportedly has been under SEBI's investigation for cases including insider trading.
"What is a 'maharaja'. A maharaja is somebody who has full control of institutions, has full arbitrary power controls the legal and intelligence machinery and he does it not as a representative of the people but in his own interest," Gandhi says as the video shows a pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting billionaire Gautam Adani.
Gandhi also posted the video on X, and said, "Buch Hai Toh Syndicate Safe Hai."
The Congress and the Opposition has been targeting the government over conflict of interest allegations against Buch and demanding that she be removed from the post immediately.
