New Delhi, May 18: Charging "vested interests" with manipulating the stock market, the CPI(M) today demanded a comprehensive inquiry into the crash to identify those responsible for it saying the markets soared as soon as rumours about Sonia Gandhi being "reluctant" to take up the prime minister's post spread.
"We also demand that Arun Shourie make public the names of those who, he had stated, were manipulating the market," CPI(M) leaders Somnath Chatterjee and Nilotpal Basu told reporters here.

Chatterjee asked, "Who benefits from the instability... It is the outgoing BJP government. They should be exposed further to show to what depths they could go to prevent a duly-elected government from being formed."


Asked to comment on an article authored by top officials of an international securities group claiming that quite a few "BJP politicians" had substantial investments in the markets, Chatterjee said, "We want truth to come out. Why aren't the BJP leaders denying these charges?"
Observing that the markets across south, Southeast Asia and other parts of the world were experiencing a secular fall for the past 15 days due to various factors, Basu said it was "very clear that vested interests wanting an unstable market were also indulging in manipulation. It was not because of a statement by a left leader because our stand on disinvestment has been known for ages".

Bureau Report