Modi ran world’s biggest extortion racket: Rahul
In a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the electoral bonds scheme, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Mr. Modi of “running the world’s largest extortion racket”.
He alleged that the funds amassed through the nowscrapped scheme were used to split political parties like the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra, and to topple Opposition governments.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge demanded a Supreme Courtmonitored inquiry, while the party’s communications chief Jairam Ramesh alleged that companies which donated to the BJP were granted government contracts in a quid pro quo arrangement.
Interacting with media in Thane at the end of day 62 of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Mr. Gandhi said that the opaque electoral bonds system was designed to benefit the ruling party.
“Now it turns out that this is a way of extorting money from India’s largest corporates. A way of stealing money from the biggest contracts in the country, and intimidating corporates and forcing them to give money to the BJP. Electoral bonds is the world’s biggest corruption scam and extortion racket run by the Prime Minister of India,” he said.
Terming it criminal extortion from corporate India, the Wayanad MP said that he was not making allegations, but stating facts. “Months after a contract is given or days after the CBI or ED raids take place, the companies suddenly start giving electoral bonds to the BJP. Certain companies which never donated money to the BJP, have got cases filed by the ED, CBI, and then the corporates donate money to the party. It’s up front,” Mr. Gandhi said.
The Congress leader alleged that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have morphed into BJP and RSS entities.
Asked by The Hindu about certain companies which bought electoral bonds operate, and which have projects in Congressruled Karnataka and Telangana, Mr. Gandhi said: “There is no correlation between the electoral bonds and the contracts given by the Congress or other Opposition parties’ governments in States.”
In Bengaluru, Mr. Kharge demanded a Supreme Courtmonitored special investigation into the electoral bonds scheme through which the ruling BJP has encashed ₹6,065 crore over five years. The BJP’s bank accounts must be frozen till the completion of the probe, he added.
While the BJP has received the highest amount in electoral bonds, it was the bank account of the Congress, containing donations received from party workers, which had been frozen, he said, adding that there was “no level playing field”.
Mr. Kharge sought an investigation into the alleged links between donations made by companies that were either searched by IT and ED officials, or received notices from Central agencies, and the funds received by the BJP.
Mr. Ramesh focused on companies that donated to the BJP after searches by Central investigation agencies, shell companies which made donations, and key missing data about the bonds scheme.
“There are many cases of companies that have donated electoral bonds, and immediately afterwards gotten huge benefits from the government: Megha Engineering & Infra has given over ₹800 crores in EBs. In April 2023, they donated ₹140 crore, and just one month later, they were awarded the ₹14,400 crore ThaneBorivali Twin Tunnel Project,” he alleged.
“The BJP’s Hafta Vasooli strategy is simple — raid a target through the ED/CBI/ IT, and then seek ‘hafta’ (donations) for the company’s protection. At least 14 of the top 30 donors have been raided,” Mr. Ramesh said.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the correlation between the searches by the CBI and ED has been clearly established with the available data on electoral bonds. “It is very clear that once they buy the electoral bonds, the investigations against them are suspended. This is nothing but a clearcut case of political extortion,” he said.
(With inputs from Nagesh Prabhu in Bengaluru and Sobhana K. Nair in Delhi)