New Delhi, Oct 24: Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) postponed its meeting on Thursday after SEBI chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch and other officials informed the panel of their inability to attend due to a personal emergency, according to PAC chairperson K C Venugopal.
Buch, who has faced allegations of conflict of interest stemming from a report by US-based short-seller Hindenburg, was summoned by the PAC as part of its performance review of the market regulator. “This morning at 9:30, we received communication from the SEBI chairperson stating that due to a personal emergency, she is unable to travel to Delhi,” Venugopal told reporters.
In light of the request, Venugopal said the committee decided to reschedule the meeting, citing the fact that Buch is a woman as a factor in their consideration.
However, the postponement sparked criticism from BJP members. PAC member and BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Venugopal of taking unilateral decisions, stating that several members, including those from BJP and its allies, were approaching Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla over what they viewed as inappropriate conduct by the chair.
While the PAC’s review of regulatory bodies’ performance had not previously drawn any protest, Buch’s summons raised concerns among BJP members, as she has been at the center of a political controversy sparked by Hindenburg’s allegations. The Congress party had seized on these accusations to attack both Buch and the government.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, also a PAC member, wrote to Speaker Om Birla accusing Venugopal of using the panel to pursue politically motivated actions designed to defame the central government. Dubey claimed that Venugopal’s conduct, driven by political motivations, sought to destabilize the country’s financial system. He further alleged that the Hindenburg accusations were part of a foreign-driven agenda and that the Congress was exploiting the issue to serve its own political ends.
Despite the controversy, the PAC will continue its review of the Department of Telecommunications in the post-lunch session, as previously scheduled.
