Rahul calls electoral bonds biggest scam

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the electoral bond system, labelling it as the “biggest extortion scam” perpetrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government.

“Usually, petty goons engage in issuing threats and loot money, and in ordinary language, it is called an extortion,” Rahul Gandhi said, comparing donations collected through electoral bonds. He alleged that companies were being threatened (by the BJP government) and the BJP got a share in the profit in infrastructure companies from these companies. He alleged that companies were forced to donate to the BJP by using sleuths of the CBI, ED and others. After these targeted companies paid donations to the BJP, Rahul Gandhi said investigations from CBI and ED stopped against such Companies.

The former Congress president also said that he observed Prime Minister Narendra Modi was shaken when he was queried on electoral bonds during a recent interview and asked the people to watch the interview of Narendra Modi in which he tried to defend electoral bonds.

In his election campaign in Mandya town, Rahul Gandhi said the Supreme Court termed electoral bonds ‘illegal’ and banned it. The Supreme Court also asked that the data on electoral bonds be put in the public domain.

On electoral bonds, Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stated electoral bonds to cleanse the political system of the country but “who gave the donations? and “on which date?” among other details were not disclosed to the public.

Promising reforms if Congress wins the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Rahul assured farmers of nationwide loan waivers and pledged to establish guaranteed prices for their produce. He also vowed to expedite insurance claims within 30 days for farmers.

Rahul outlined plans to provide financial assistance of `8,500 per month to impoverished women, supplementing the existing `2,000 cash benefit from the Karnataka government. He emphasised that under Congress rule, a woman from a poor family would receive a total of `10,500 per month, promising transformative change through the “I.N.D.I.A” bloc. Furthermore, Rahul Gandhi committed to ending the contract labour system in government and public sector enterprises, prioritising job security. He proposed quality training programs for unemployed youths to enhance their employability, thereby providing skilled manpower for public sector undertakings.