Spokespersons: Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Shri Ajay Maken and Shri Pawan Khera; Shri Ajay Maken said- the Election Commission of India (ECI) on its website on the orders of the Supreme Court of India has put up a list given by the State Bank of India of all those corporate houses, who have purchased bonds from the State Bank of India… the electoral bonds from the State Bank of India. Our Hon’ble President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge Ji is here to discuss this issue with the nation through all of you and put before the country how the BJP’s government misused this electoral bond as an instrument of corruption. I request Shri Mallikarjun Kharge Ji to speak on this important issue.

Shri Mallikarjun Kharge said- it has been exposed by the Supreme Court that how the BJP has made money out of these election bonds. SBI data shows BJP got 50 per cent donation. Congress got only 11 per cent. Even our voting pattern you see… in that voting pattern also, we are nearly one-third and rest of the parties are two-thirds including BJP, but the donation they got more than 50 per cent. How can they get this much of money, how can the other capitalists or other companies give such donations? So, there are many dubious donors, and who are these people who have donated - either they are involved in ED case, Income Tax. And all Income Tax people and ED… they raided their houses, then ultimately the Government of India, particularly Modi Ji…. Modi Ji and his party pressurised these people to give more donations to their party otherwise this much of difference cannot be there.

And on the other side, we had money in Congress Party accounts… that money was seized, frozen, locked.

How can we go for election?And where is the level-playing ground? Therefore, I demand an enquiry at highest level and unless the truth comes out, their accounts should also be frozen and special investigation should be done…

Secondly, PM should be held accountable because he is the main man and Prime Minister himself claims always ‘Ye Modi Ki Sarkar’ ‘Ye Modi Ki Party’ ‘Ye Modi Ki Guarantee’. So, everything is in his name only, he never said even BJP.

Shri Ajay Maken added- when the list came… in total 22,217 electoral bonds were issued ever since it started in 2018, but the details on the website pertain to only 18,871 bonds. The details pertaining to 3,346 bonds is not available on the website…SBI has not given. So, these 3,346 bonds… the total amount pertains to around 2,500 crores. So, whom the Modi government and the SBI is trying to shield… this is the first important question, and this is the biggest discrepancy which you would like to ask.

Second, as hon’ble Congress President has said- There should be an investigation… investigation directly under the Supreme Court, since Supreme Court has initiated this. And what should the investigation do? It should link the IT notices, IT raids, ED notices and ED raids with these electoral bonds’ purchases because now when the names of these companies have come out, it is clear that most of these companies… they were either under IT scanner, they were given IT notices, Income Tax department raided them, ED raided them and then they purchased bonds.In a way, they were forced to purchase bonds and give it to the BJP. This is another very important glaring discrepancy, which has come out.

The third important thing which the Hon’ble President also has said- that more than 50 per cent of the total amount has gone to the BJP whereas the principal Opposition party… the Congress Party’s share is just 11 per cent. It is the difference of 39 per cent…. if you look at the difference of votes between the Congress and BJP in the last election, it was 17 per cent. So, it is more than double the vote difference between the Congress and BJP that the BJP has got its share. So, this is something which is surprising, and which clearly proves that coercion… Income Tax and ED… was used to get more bonds for the BJP, for the ruling party.

Investigation into these things should be done directly under the Supreme Court; and secondly, importantly… the BJP’s account should be immediately frozen. – Friday, March 15, 2024.