Citing a survey report, the former party chief claimed that 55% of people believe that corruption has increased rapidly in the last 5 years…reports Asian Lite News
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stepped up his attack on the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, saying the prime minister and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were doing most of the corruption in the country through electoral bonds.
“Modi said ‘I want to eliminate corruption’ and brought the electoral bonds scheme. Industrialists gave thousands of crores of rupees to the BJP (through the electoral bonds). Modi said no one should know the name of the person who gives money under the scheme. A few days ago, the Supreme Court said the scheme is illegal and should be cancelled,” said Rahul.
The Congress leader further alleged that the corruption has increased tremendously in the last five years of the Modi government.
“Modi government has committed big scams like the electoral bond, PM-Cares Fund and Adani mega scam. Besides, corrupt people across the country are getting a clean chit from ‘Modi’s washing machine’. Modi government is a corrupt government. This corruption is happening under the supervision of PM Modi,” Rahul said, addressing a rally in Phalodi in the Jodhpur constituency of Rajasthan.
Citing a survey report, the former party chief claimed that 55 per cent of people believe that corruption has increased rapidly in the last 5 years. “Twenty-five per cent of people believe that the Modi government is responsible for increasing corruption. The public is not saying this without any reason,” he said.
Rahul highlighted the promises made by the Congress party in its manifesto and said the party, if voted to power, would remove the poverty from the country by transferring Rs 1 lakh into the account of one female from a poverty-stricken household, which comes out to Rs 8,500 per month.
Earlier, addressing another rally in Bikaner, the Congress leader targeted the Centre over farmers’ protest, unemployment and inflation.
“Farmers are demanding MSP, youths are in grave need of employment, and women are asking for relief from price rises. PM Modi straightaway declines to give MSP calling farmers terrorists. Farmers are giving tax for the first time in the history of India,” he said.
Electoral bond scheme ‘muddied waters’ of corporate political donations
Meanwhile, the Congress alleged that every day a new dimension is emerging in the electoral bond scheme (EBS) and alleged that the EBS deliberately “muddied” the waters of corporate political donations.
Responding to an investigation on 20 newly incorporated companies purchasing electoral bonds worth Rs 103 crore, Congress general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh took to X (formerly Twitter) to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Every day a new dimension emerges to the #PayPM Scam, confirming the shocking reality of the corruption which has engulfed this country through Narendra Modi’s encouragement,” MrRamesh said in a post on X.
Expressing doubts about the background of the newly incorporated companies that purchased the electoral bonds, Ramesh said these companies were likely to be shell companies. “This is a direct violation of rules which prevent companies less than three years old from donating to parties. This is not a coincidence. The Modi Sarkar’s Electoral Bonds Scheme deliberately muddied the waters of corporate political donations,” he alleged.
Ramesh said the electoral bond scheme got rid of the provision which limited corporate donations to 7.5% of their average net profit during the previous three years and introduced complete anonymity for donors, preventing public oversight of donations.
He also pointed out that as far back as 2017, the Election Commission as well as the Reserve Bank of India had warned that the EBS may lead to the use of “black money through shell companies” and money laundering.
“The prohibition on companies less than three years old was one of the last few guardrails that remained to prevent an influx of political funds coming in from shell companies. This last safeguard was also routinely violated under the Prime Minister’s supervision,” Ramesh alleged.
‘Modi resorting to polarisation’
Coming down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior Congress leader KC Venugopal on Thursday accused him of trying to divert people’s attention from key issues and polarise the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
On the road, campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections with senior party colleague Ramesh Chenithala, the Congress candidate from Kerala’s Alappuzha said, “The BJP has no ground to question or criticise our guarantees in the Nyay Patra (Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections). Whenever we bring up people’s issues on the campaign trail, the PM tries to divert the public by polarising the discourse. When he visits Kerala, he praises the state. However, when he is in North India, he makes unsavoury remarks and statements about South India. The ‘Mission India’ of the BJP isn’t going to work, especially in the South.”
The senior Congress leader and AICC member claimed that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) would win all the Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, adding that the pulse of the people elsewhere in the country was also in favour of the INDIA bloc.
