Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 15 (PTI) Electoral bonds have enabled the largest political corruption case ever reported in India, with Santiago Martin’s company symbolising corruption and facing numerous probes, being the biggest donor, Kerala State Secretary of the ruling CPI(M) M V Govindan said.
Addressing a press conference, Govindan said that several thousands of crores have been amassed by the BJP and some other parties through electoral bonds.
“More than half of the bonds have been secured by the BJP. As per the details given by SBI, BJP alone has received Rs 6060.51 crore,” Govindan said.
He accused the BJP-led central government of trying to spread corruption in the country.
“The money collected through electoral bonds is used by the BJP for purchasing MLAs, destabilising governments, and attracting more people to the saffron party. It is corruption all around, and they pompously claim that their hands are clean,” the CPI(M) leader alleged.
Pointing out that the Left parties, CPI(M) and CPI, chose not to accept electoral bonds, and in fact CPI(M) went to court against the opaque political funding scheme, Govindan said some media houses have been “deliberately trying to mislead people”, claiming that nobody purchased electoral bonds of the two parties.
“The Left parties made the decision that electoral bonds are unconstitutional, and we will not accept a penny from them. We did not register with the SBI, and our leader Sitaram Yechury went to court against electoral bonds,” he said.
His statement comes a day after the Election Commission posted the data on electoral bonds on its website.
The CPI(M) had moved the apex court in February 2018, saying that electoral bond scheme “undermines democracy” and would “lead to greater political corruption”. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Dr Jaya Thakur of the Congress party were the others who approached the SC against electoral bonds.
In its landmark verdict on February 15, the Supreme Court scrapped the Centre’s electoral bonds scheme that allowed anonymous political funding, calling it “unconstitutional” and ordered disclosure by the EC of donors, the amount donated by them and the recipients by March 13.
Addressing the press conference, the CPI(M) state secretary moved on to politics in the state and took a jibe at the Congress, saying the party is suffering from organisational dysfunction.
Criticising the Congress’s decision to field Rahul Gandhi from Kerala, Govindan said that the Wayanad MP is yet to return to Delhi, and AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal is currently in Alappuzha.
“Both of them are contesting from Kerala. Congress should be taking a leadership role in fighting the BJP, but they are confused and are fighting the Left in Kerala. The Left parties have no other option but to support anyone who opposes the BJP,” Govindan said.
He said that the Left parties have decided to align with all like-minded people and to intensify protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act across the state.
“Kerala’s Chief Minister has reiterated that the CAA will not be implemented in Kerala,” he said.
Govindan criticised opposition leader V D Satheesan and BJP state President K Surendran, stating that they are both suggesting that Kerala has no option but to implement the law. PTI KPK TGB ANE
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