Congress wants Supreme Court to freeze BJP funds after electoral bonds data

The Indian National Congress party has called for a high-level probe by the Supreme Court into the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) alleged corruption in the electoral bonds scheme. The Congress party, spearheading the opposition, has demanded the freezing of BJP's bank accounts, citing revelations from the recently disclosed electoral bonds data.

The Congress alleges that the BJP has illicitly acquired a significant portion of its funding through these bonds. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the ruling government, taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's famed slogan of "Na khaunga, na khane doonga" (I will neither indulge in corruption nor allow others to do so), suggesting it applies only to the BJP's benefit. He called for an independent inquiry at the highest levels and demanded the freezing of the BJP's bank accounts until clarity was achieved.

Kharge asserted that the data released by the State Bank of India reveals that the BJP allegedly received nearly half of the total electoral bonds money, reducing the Congress's share by a significant margin. Kharge raised pertinent questions about the identities of dubious donors and the timing of donations vis-à-vis enforcement agency raids, insinuating a disturbing nexus between political contributions and government actions.

Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary, slammed Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's dismissal of the link between enforcement agency raids and electoral bond donations as mere "assumptions." Ramesh called for transparency, urging the release of full donor data and unique bond ID numbers to facilitate scrutiny and accountability.

Congress treasurer Ajay Maken highlighted discrepancies between issued bonds and available data on the EC's website, raising suspicions about concealed information and the potential shielding of certain entities.

The Congress's analysis of the electoral bonds data, as presented by Ramesh, paints a picture of the BJP's alleged modus operandi. Ramesh outlined four purported corrupt tactics employed by the BJP, ranging from quid pro quo arrangements to hafta vasooli (extortion) strategies, alluding to a systemic abuse of power for financial gain.

In a conversation with CNBC-TV18, senior advocate Sanjoy Ghose emphasised the need for an impartial investigation to safeguard the integrity of India's electoral process.

The Congress had been under the Income Tax department's radar for a case pertaining to Assessment Year 2018-19, in which the tax department raised a demand of ₹103 crore in tax and ₹32 crore in interest on this tax, taking the total due to ₹135 crore. This tax was computed after the assessing officer decided that the exemption claimed by the Congress party under Section 13A of the Income Tax Act, 1961, could not be allowed. In February, the Congress claimed that all its bank accounts were frozen by the I-T department.

However, CNBC-TV18 later learned that the party bank accounts were not frozen as the leaders claimed and instead, the I-T department had only placed a temporary lien on the accounts to the extent of ₹115 crore.