Electoral Bond Data, Second List: In a note addressed to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government and referring to the second list of electoral bond data released by the Election Commission, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin criticized the electoral bonds as ' white-collar bonds'. corruption” of the ruling BJP.
Also read: Electoral bond data 2nd list LIVE
“This is fear. Prime Minister Modi has started labeling us as corrupt, but electoral bonds have proven that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is corrupt. It is white-collar corruption of the BJP,” Stalin said on Sunday while addressing a public gathering at the INDIA group meeting at Shivaji Park in Mumbai.
However, it appears that white-collar corruption was not just 'exclusive' to the BJP.
The Election Commission data obtained from political parties and submitted in sealed envelopes to the Supreme Court regarding electoral bonds showed that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) ₹656.5 crore through electoral bonds. Future Gaming and Hotel Services, the main buyer of these bonds, donated ₹509 crore to the DMK, the ruling party in Tamil Nadu.
Also read: Electoral Bond Data 2nd List: View the party-wise list of who received how much
Future Gaming, which purchased electoral bonds for an amount of ₹1,368 crore, 37 percent of this amount allocated to Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin's party. Other major donors to the Stalin-led DMK included Megha Engineering ₹105 crore, India Cements ₹14 crore and Sun TV ₹100 crores.
According to the data, the ruling BJP received maximum money from the Center through these bonds ₹ 6,986.5 crore since they were introduced in 2018, followed by West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress party ( ₹1,397 crore), Congress ( ₹1,334 crore) and Bharat Rashtra Samithi ( ₹1,322 crore), as per the latest data shared by the EC.
Also read: Nitin Gadkari backs electoral bond programme, says 'contesting elections requires money'
In addition, the JD(S) received bonds in the amount of ₹89.75 crore, including contribution of ₹50 crore from Megha Engineering, the second largest buyer of electoral bonds.
The Supreme Court, in a ruling in February, quashed the Centre's Electoral Bond Scheme, which allowed anonymous funding to political parties, and ordered the SBI to immediately stop issuing electoral bonds.
'Sealed coverage' data of electoral bonds for the period March 2018 – April 2019 made public by ECI does not include the names of the donors (barring some parties that voluntarily disclosed the names).
(With input from agencies)
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Published: Mar 18, 2024 10:34 AM IST