Space of risk: Rahul Gandhi flags stock market dangers

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday expressed concern over the recent sharp decline in the Indian stock markets and said the party must evolve ways to protect the interests of youngsters, the salaried class and the common people who have invested their money.

In a video of a phone conversation with Pawan Khera -- chairman of the Congress' media and publicity department -- Gandhi described the stock market as a "space of risk" and urged party leaders to devise innovative ways of cautioning retail investors for protecting their hard-earned money.

"If you want me involved in it, tell me how," Gandhi told Khera, expressing his willingness to be part of a communication campaign to protect the interests of retail investors.

The former Congress president posted a video of the conversation with Khera on Instagram with the caption, "Who is in the syndicate that guards the corrupt?" Investors' wealth eroded by a whopping Rs 6.80 lakh crore on Friday as equity markets tumbled, driven by a sharp fall in IndusInd Bank shares and unabated foreign fund outflows.

The BSE Sensex plummeted 662.87 points to settle at 79,402.29 on Friday.

The NSE Nifty tanked 218.60 points to 24,180.80. The index closed lower for the fourth consecutive week on Friday.