Oppn seeks SC probe into 'quid pro quo' in bonds
Opposition parties on Friday accused the government of using pressure of investigative agencies and quid-pro-quo methods on business firms to help the BJP get the largest chunk of political donations through electoral bonds, and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into what they saw as corruption by the ruling establishment. The Congress also demanded a freeze on BJP's bank accounts.
Citing the electoral bond data that State Bank of India provided to the Election Commission, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the BJP received about half the total donations while the principal opposition party, Congress, got only 11%. «There are many dubious donors. Who are these people? Which companies are these? Why have so many companies donated only after ED, IT and CBI raids? Who put the pressure on such companies,» Kharge asked, and sought a Supreme Court-led investigation into «the saga of corruption».
«It is quite worrying that while the accounts of the Congress party have been frozen, no action has been taken against the BJP which has illegally acquired crores and crores of money,» he said, referring to a lien the Income Tax Department imposed on its account. «Thus, along with an inquiry, we demand that accounts of BJP should be frozen with immediate effect due to the illegal nature of the funds received through the electoral bonds scheme,» he added.
The politburo of the CPI-M, a petitioner in the electoral bond case, welcomed the apex court asking SBI to provide the full details of the donors. The
