“Congress also received the electoral bonds, is that also extortion?” Home Minister Amit Shah said this in an exclusive interview with NDTV on Friday. Shah said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should also tell people that his party too has been 'extorting'.
“Rahul Gandhi must tell the people: yes, we have done extortion too. And the donation they received in proportion to the number of MPs is more than what we received. According to the donation received regarding the number of MPs, Congress received donations worth ₹9,000 crore, receiving the BJP ₹6,600 crore,” Amit Shah said in the interview.
“She [Congress] I have no problem… there is no allegation of corruption against Prime Minister Modi. So they are trying to create an illusion… They will not be successful,” Shah said.
Several opposition parties, including the Congress, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of pulling off the “biggest corruption scandal”. The Congress leader alleged that the BJP has received “thousands of crores through extortion” through the electoral bond scheme.
On February 15, the Supreme Court rejected the Electoral Bond Scheme, which allowed anonymous funding to political parties. The electoral bonds scheme was notified by the government on January 2, 2018. It was pitched as an alternative to cash donations to political parties as part of efforts to achieve transparency in political financing.
The Supreme Court has rejected the electoral bond scheme, calling it 'unconstitutional'. The scheme was notified by the central government in 2018 as an alternative to cash donations to political parties to bring transparency in political financing.
Amit Shah's statement on electoral bonds came on the day voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections began. The first phase of voting took place in 21 states/UTs on Friday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier said that everyone will regret the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the electoral bond scheme as the policy provided crucial information about the trail of the money and all stakeholders involved in the political financing.
Unlock a world of benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time inventory management, breaking news and a personalized news feed – it's all there, just one click away! Log in now!
View all political news and updates on DailyExertNews. Download the Mint News app for daily market updates and live business news.
. or less
Published: Apr 19, 2024 6:44 PM IST