Probe agencies being misused to ‘extort’ donations for BJP, SC-monitored probe needed, says Congress
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday alleged that probe agencies were being misused to “extort” donations for the BJP from private companies and demanded a Supreme Courtmonitored probe into what it called “hafta-vasooli” by the government.
Addressing a press conference, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that at least 30 companies, which donated a total of nearly Rs 335 crore to the BJP between financial years 2018-19 and 2022-23, faced investigation by central agencies during that period.
Ramesh said Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal on Friday wrote to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over the issue and asked why the government should not be open to a Supreme Courtmonitored probe into the donations received by the BJP.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a post on X said, ‘Do you know about the Prime Minister’s ‘Donate, take bail and business’ scheme? In the country, the PM is doing business like ‘vasooli bhai’ by misusing ED, IT and CBI.’ He said reports have revealed that 30 companies that faced investigation by various agencies, which have become “recovery agents” now, donated Rs 335 crore to the BJP during the investigation.
“The donation business is going on so shamelessly that the owners of a distillery in MP donated to the BJP as soon as they got the bail. Benefitting the company of a friend by dishonesty and adopting different rules for others? ‘Illegal donations’ and ‘Electoral Bonds’ given to BJP under Modi rule are the guarantee of ‘Ease of Doing Business’,” Gandhi said in his post in Hindi, using the hashtag “#HaftaVasooliSarkar”.
Ramesh asked if the govt would come up with a “white paper” on the BJP’s finances, not just the sources but how corporate firms were “coerced” to donate by misusing investigative agencies against them.
‘If you have nothing to hide, then are you willing to present a point-by-point rebuttal on the ‘chronology’ of events which led to the filling of BJP’s treasury?’ he asked. ‘If you are unwilling to come up with factual explanation, then are you willing to present yourself for a Supreme Court-monitored investigation in these dubious deals to loot donation for the BJP?’ Ramesh said. He said a Supreme Court-monitored probe is needed in this matter.
In his letter to Sitharaman, Venugopal said media reports have exposed the alleged “quid pro quo between BJP and several firms, which in a strange coincidence donated to it after the ED, IT and CBI and others raided or searched those enterprises”.