NEW DELHI: There seems to be a discomfort among the lawmakers of the saffron outfit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking ministers and MPs to share their bank account transaction details. However, the PM’s direction has blunted the Opposition’s allegations of the ruling party knowing the demonetisation decision in advance.
The PM during his speech in the Parliamentary party meeting of the BJP last week had asked the MPs and Ministers in his Cabinet to submit details of their bank accounts. “The direction of the Prime Minister clearly caught the rival political parties off-guard. They have given enough indications to suggest that none of them could give similar directions to their MPs.
But within the BJP there are apprehensions that they could be in soup if they divulge details of their bank accounts with party chief Amit Shah,” said a senior BJP functionary.
Incidentally, a number of leaders of the saffron outfit admitted that the BJP MPs are not immune to the prevailing situations in politics under which political workers largely eke out their livelihoods in cash.
“If all bank account details are shared with the party president, then there is every possibility that there could only be deposits and little or no withdrawals. In such a situation, the logical question could be on how the MPs could survive without withdrawing money from their accounts,” said a Lok Sabha MP from BJP. Senior ministers in the government admit that there is a legitimate issue of “privacy”, which can come in the way of sharing bank account details with the party high command.
“Bank account details by nature are personal information of any person, including law-makers. The MPs declare their wealth and sources of income to the Election Commission (EC) at the time of filing nomination during elections. The issue of privacy is definitely involved here,” said a Cabinet minister in the Modi government.
Incidentally, one Lok Sabha MP who had seen `1 crore in cash seized by the EC is knocking at the doors of the Ministry of Finance for release of the money in new currency. Even while there is an apparent discomfort among the BJP MPs over Prime Minister’s directions, leaders of other political parties also admit that their livelihoods largely run on cash, as their known sources of income could not take care of multiple needs of servicing their constituencies and people, besides regular travels.
“Unlike the western countries, politicians in India hardly come from any professions with regular and reliable sources of income. There are only a few MPs, who had been successful lawyers, doctors, and teachers. Majority of the MPs have been full-time political workers without any reliable sources of income,” said a Union Minister.