Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Accusing the ruling BJP of collecting Rs 335 crore as donations from 30 companies after central agencies initiated action against them, Congress on Friday demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the “hafta vasuli” (extortion) and asked whether the Finance Ministry would come up with a ‘White Paper’' on the saffron party's finances.
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal wrote to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with the party's demands while asking whether she would rebut the claims made in media reports about the donations if the BJP has nothing to hide.
Releasing the three-page letter to media, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said, “it is a clear case of ‘hafta wasooli’ (extortion)...these are the ED and CBI bonds, not electoral bonds which also have been held unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.”
Ramesh said the details of the donations are on the Election Commission website and it has come to light that between 2018 and 2022, these 30 private companies were subjected to investigations by the Enforcement Directorate, the Income Tax Department and the CBI. During this period, he claimed, they “donated” Rs 335 crore to the BJP.
Of these, he claimed, 23 companies had never ever paid any donation to the BJP prior to 2018 and four companies which had made donations to Congress before 2018 had not done so after the actions against them.
Seeking a detailed investigation, Venugopal said it raised “serious” questions about the institutional independence, autonomy, and the professionalism of the central agencies. He alleged that it “seems to be a clear-cut case of legal extortion in the form of donations to the ruling party by exerting pressure on investigative agencies”.
He also said they were not alleging that the cases against these companies are illegal “but it does warrant an investigation on why these ‘dubious’ firms” are donating to the ruling BJP despite the ED investigation against them.
“Is it a mere coincidence that they are donating to the BJP after ED action?” he asked.
Venugopal asked whether the Modi government is willing to "come up with a 'White Paper' on BJP’s finances, not just the sources, but how you coerced corporate firms 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? If you are unwilling to come up with a factual explanation, then are you willing to present yourself for a Supreme Court-monitored investigation in these dubious deals to loot donations for the BJP?” he said.
Referring to the recent IT Department action against the Congress, Venugopal said the nation is witnessing how the government is "coercing" nationalised banks under the Finance Ministry to extort money from the party.
“We are going to the courts of law and to the court of people. We will defeat you on both sides,” he added.