Addressing the ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra rally in Thane, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made scathing remarks about electoral bonds, labeling them as the largest extortion racket globally. His comments came a day after data related to the now-defunct scheme was revealed following Supreme Court directives.
During the rally, Gandhi asserted, "Electoral bonds were the biggest extortion racket in the world. Funds for splitting political parties and toppling opposition governments came from electoral bonds."
The spotlight on corporate donations worth thousands of crores to political parties through the abolished electoral bonds has intensified, with the Congress urging for a high-level investigation by the Supreme Court into the BJP's bank accounts. The party alleges that around 50% of the funds received through these bonds went to the BJP.
Furthermore, Congress has alleged collusion between funding to BJP bank accounts and actions taken by central investigative and premier agencies against entities involved in remittances to BJP accounts via electoral bonds.
According to data released by the Election Commission of India, the BJP encashed Rs 6,060 crore over five years through the electoral bonds scheme, while the Congress received Rs 1,422 crore since April 2019. Despite these figures, Gandhi emphasized that there was no direct connection between electoral bonds and contracts awarded by Congress or other opposition parties' state governments.
Gandhi's assertions coincide with revelations that more than 15 of the top 30 companies donating to political parties through the now-defunct electoral bonds scheme were under investigation by various agencies including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and Income Tax Department.
Meanwhile, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the swift transitions of individuals facing scrutiny by central agencies to the BJP, noting their seemingly expedited exoneration once affiliated with the ruling party.
Kharge expressed concern over the lack of action against the BJP, contrasting it with the Congress's frozen bank accounts totaling nearly Rs 300 crore, which poses challenges for the party in facing upcoming elections.
In response to these developments, the Supreme Court reprimanded the State Bank of India (SBI) for failing to disclose electoral bond numbers in compliance with its previous order. The court emphasized the necessity of disclosing electoral bond numbers, which link donors to recipients, to ensure transparency in political funding.
