Amid Opposition furore over the publication of Electoral Bonds data on the Election Commission’s website, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader RP Singh pointed out that out of Rs 20000 crore worth Electoral Bonds, Rs 6000 crore have been donated to the BJP while the rest went to opposition parties.
“Out of a total of Rs 20000 crore Electoral Bonds, bonds worth Rs 6000 crore have gone to BJP while bonds worth Rs 14000 crores have gone to the opposition. Everybody is answerable and the Supreme Court verdict will be applicable for everyone equally,” Singh said speaking to media on March 17.
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.
Speaking about the intent of the Electoral Bonds, Singh said that the money donated to political parties under these bonds are accounted for since they come through banks and company books.
“The electoral bonds scheme was launched so that the flow of corruption through cash could be stopped. Today, money comes through banks and companies books with information. Earlier, all this money used to come in cash. It was black money,” the BJP leader said.
In an attack at Uddhav Thackeray for joining the I.N.D.I Alliance and participating in the I.N.D.I Alliance rally at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park, Singh said, “Today, Uddhav Thackeray is seen standing with those leaders in Mumbai’s Shivaji Maidan who called Veer Savarkar a traitor and a coward.”
“The people of Maharashtra will decide how much they will vote for Uddhav Thackeray and his team. The person whose party was founded on the ideology of Veer Savarkar…is standing with those who call Veer Savarkar a traitor,” he added.
On Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra coming to an end, the BJP leader said that he should first look for love withing his party and between his alliance partners. “Rahul Gandhi should first answer how much ‘mohabbat’ (love) is left in his party and between his alliance partners,” Singh said.
In a swipe at Rahul Gandhi over his often-repeated “mohabbat” message, Singh said, “Rahul Gandhi has not right to talk about ‘mohabbat’ as the maximum number of riots and massacres in the country have been carried out under the rule of Congress. Being a Sikh, I can never forget 1984.”
Rahul Gandhi’s 6,700 km Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra concluded on March 16 in Mumbai.
(with inputs from ANI)
