New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday targeted Hiren Joshi, a senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office, demanding complete transparency from the government about his “business partners, foreign connections”, and their potential implications for India’s national interests.
Congress leader Pawan Khera, who is chairman of the party’s media and publicity department, said it was imperative for the government to clarify the matter, as a “very big question mark” now hangs over the PMO.
“The government will have to reveal the truth behind this. Hiren Joshi is not a small name. He is the most powerful person in the PMO who played a key role in murdering democracy in this country, in throttling you (media),” Khera told a press conference, responding to a question on the recent “chatter about Joshi”.
Joshi serves as OSD (Communications & Information Technology) in the PMO. A long-term aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Joshi was in September 2022 accused by former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of pressuring the media to avoid covering the Aam Aadmi Party.
ThePrint reached out to Joshi by calling the phone number listed against his name on the PMO website. However, the calls went unanswered.
On Wednesday Khera claimed, that a close aide of Joshi “who was brought to the Law Commission seven months back has been removed in haste, while also getting that person’s government bungalow emptied.”
“The country has the right to know who his business partners are. What business was Hiren Joshi carrying out sitting in the PMO is also something that the country deserves to know. Which betting app, what was it, he has a stake in? There is chatter on social media. And if the government does not come out with a clarification soon then these discussions will go on no matter how many apps they bring,” said Khera.
Khera went on to allege that he has learnt that Joshi has many business interests. “What are his foreign links? Whom did he meet during his overseas visits? Did Hiren Joshi compromise India’s national interest through his associations in the United States or anywhere else he went? All these things will come out. You can’t murder democracy that easily. Now there is a very big question mark on the PMO.”
Khera said that as he is posted in the PMO, which is a public office, there must be clarity not only about Joshi’s business interests but also about his personal associations.
Khera added the country has a right to know what relationships he maintains, with whom, and “what kind of damage these ties may have caused” to the country.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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