Stalin calls electoral bonds ‘BJP’s white-collar corruption,’ yet finds shelter

Also Read: Electoral Bonds data 2nd list LIVE

“This is fear. PM Modi has started defaming us as corrupt, but electoral bonds proved that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is corrupt. It’s white-collar corruption of the BJP,” said Stalin while addressing a public gathering at the INDIA grouping’s rally at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on Sunday.

However, it appears that white-collar corruption was not “exclusive” to the BJP alone.

The Election Commission’s data, obtained from political parties and submitted to the Supreme Court in sealed envelopes regarding electoral bonds, revealed that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) received ₹656.5 crore through electoral bonds. Future Gaming and Hotel Services, the primary purchaser of these bonds, donated ₹509 crore to the DMK, the governing party in Tamil Nadu.

Also Read: Electoral Bonds data 2nd list: Check party wise list of who received how much

Future Gaming, which purchased electoral bonds amounting to ₹1,368 crore, allocated 37 per cent of this sum to Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin’s party. Other major donors of the MK Stalin-led DMK included Megha Engineering ₹105 crore, India Cements ₹14 crore and Sun TV ₹100 crore.

According to the data, the ruling BJP at the Centre received the maximum funds through these bonds at ₹ 6,986.5 crore since they were introduced in 2018, followed by West Bengal’s ruling party Trinamool Congress ( ₹1,397 crore), Congress ( ₹1,334 crore) and Bharat Rashtra Samithi ( ₹1,322 crore), according to the latest data shared by the EC.

Also Read: Nitin Gadkari backs electoral bond scheme, says ‘contesting elections requires money’

Additionally, the JD(S) received bonds amounting to ₹89.75 crore, which includes a contribution of ₹50 crore from Megha Engineering, the second-largest purchaser of electoral bonds.

The Supreme Court, in a ruling in February, struck down the Centre’s Electoral Bond Scheme, which allowed for anonymous funding to political parties, and ordered the SBI to stop issuing Electoral Bonds immediately.

‘Sealed cover’ data of electoral bonds for the period March 2018 – April 2019 made public by ECI doesn’t include the names of the donors (barring few parties who disclosed the names voluntarily).

(With inputs from agencies)

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Published: 18 Mar 2024, 10:34 AM IST