NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday alleged that the Central agencies were being misused to “extort” donations for the BJP from private companies and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the matter.
In a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal sought a probe into “the allegations of quid pro quo between BJP and donors of the BJP, which have been raided by various investigative agencies”.
It said between 2018 and 2022, thirty private companies were subjected to investigations by the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department and Central Bureau of Investigation. During this period, the same companies paid Rs 335 crore to the BJP as donations. Of the 30 firms, 23 companies, which gave a total of Rs 187.58 crore to the BJP during this period, had never donated any amount to the party between 2014 and the year of the raid, Venugopal added.
“It raises serious questions about the institutional independence, autonomy, and the professionalism of the Central agencies IT, ED and CBI,” wrote the Congress leader.
“At least four of these companies donated a total of Rs 9.05 crore within four months of the Central agency’s visit,” he said. He referred to a news portal’s report that has “exposed the alleged quid pro quo between BJP and several firms.”
“It is a clear case of extortion,” party general secretary Jairam Ramesh told a press conference. “These are the ED and CBI bonds, not electoral bonds, which also have been held unconstitutional by the Supreme Court,” he said.
Ramesh questioned the government if it would come up with a “White Paper” on BJP’s finances, not just the sources, but how it 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 that led to the filling of BJP’s treasury?” he asked.
Congress, aap finalise seat-sharing deals
The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have already finalised a blueprint for the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, where AAP will contest four seats and its alliance partner the remaining three, said sources privy to the information. Both the parties have also worked out a deal for Haryana, Gujarat, Chandigarh and Goa.
Though AAP and Congress were expected to make a joint statement on Friday, a decision on Gujarat’s Bharuch constituency, a seat held by late Congress leader Ahmed Patel, posed a last-minute hurdle. Congress has conceded two seats for AAP in Gujarat including Bharuch and Bhavnagar.
‘Quid pro quo’
Venugopal’s letter said that between 2018 and 2022, thirty private firms were subjected to ED, I-T and CBI probes. They paid `335 crore to the BJP as donations during this period