Congress demands SC-probe into ‘quid-pro-quo’ between BJP, donors raided by Central agencies

Hyderabad: All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary KC Venugopal has written to finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman requesting a probe into the allegations of quid-pro-quo between BJP and donors of the BJP which have been raided by various investigative agencies.

Speaking about a recent media investigation into how several firms, who in a strange coincidence donated to BJP, after the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax Department (I-T), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and others, raided/searched those enterprises. Congress claimed that the news report was authenticated by several Election Commission documents regarding donations and other robust evidence.

Central agencies targeting Opposition

“It raises serious questions about the institutional independence, autonomy, and professionalism of the Central agencies – IT, ED, CBI. Two of the three agencies come under the jurisdiction of the Finance Ministry. The entire nation knows how investigative agencies are being remotely controlled by your government. This has been testified by the has been a four-fold increase in ED cases against politicians since 2014, and 95 per cent of the cases are against the Opposition leaders,” said Venugopal in the letter.

The party claimed that the media investigation has revealed how the IT, ED, CBI and other agencies either arrested, searched or seized assets of certain companies, and later they seemed to be ‘coerced to donate to the BJP.’

Here are some points the Opposition raised on the issue.

1. At least 30 companies, which donated a total of nearly Rs 335 crores to the BJP between financial years 2018-19 and 2022-23, also faced action by Central agencies during that period.

2. Of these firms, 23 companies, which gave a total of Rs 187.58 crores to the party during this period, had never donated any amount to the BJP between 2014 and the year of the raid.

3. At least four of these companies donated a total of Rs 9.05 crores within four months of the Central agency visit.

4. At least six of these firms, which were already donors to the BJP, handed out a heftier amount in the months following the searches.

5. Six other firms, which had donated to the BJP each year before, faced Central action after they skipped donations in one financial year.

6. At least three BJP donors, who are not part of the list of 30, had been accused of receiving undue favours from the Modi government.

“The above instances seem to be a clear-cut case of legal extortion in the form of donations to the ruling party, by exerting pressure on investigative agencies. Certainly, these are not the only cases where such a modus operandi of alleged extortion has taken place. This looks like the tip of the iceberg,” Venugopal said.

“We are nowhere alleging that the cases filed, or the action taken by the investigating agencies are illegal, but it does warrant an investigation, on why these ‘dubious’ firms who have ED cases against them are donating to the ruling party – BJP, despite ED investigation against them. Is it a mere coincidence that they are donating to the BJP, after ED action?” he added.

Blow to Electoral Bonds scheme

Speaking about the Supreme Court struck down the Electoral Bonds scheme by terming it unconstitutional and illegal, he said that it is ‘high time his government and particularly the Finance Ministry is made accountable for the malpractices adopted in filling BJP’s coffers.’

Challenging the ruling party to an open debate, the Congress leader asked the Centre to publish a White Paper on BJP’s finances, rebuke each allegation against itself regarding coercing firms to fund it or constitute a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into how the bonds were processed so far.

He concluded by saying that Congress will fight the issue in the courts of law and people.