Congress General Secretary, KC Venugopal, has written a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, urging an investigation into allegations of quid-pro-quo between the BJP and various corporate donors. These donors have come under scrutiny following raids conducted by central investigative agencies.
The letter follows investigative reports by online publications such as Newslaundry and The News Minute, shedding light on a concerning trend of donations to the BJP by firms shortly after being targeted by agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax Department (IT), and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), among others.
According to the reports, approximately 30 companies donated nearly ₹335 crore to the BJP between financial years 2018-19 and 2022-23. Shockingly, 23 of these firms had never donated to the BJP before facing investigations by the agencies mentioned. Furthermore, some companies even escalated their donations to the BJP following agency actions.
“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 modus operandi of alleged extortion has taken place. This looks like the tip of the iceberg,” Venugopal said in the letter.
He has raised significant concerns about the autonomy and professionalism of central investigative agencies, especially those under the finance ministry”s jurisdiction. He has called for the release of a “White Paper” detailing BJP”s finances, specifically addressing allegations of corporate donations coerced through the misuse of investigative agencies.
Venugopal clarified, “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?”
The Congress leader has accused the government of undermining democracy through various tactics, including issuing what he describes as frivolous income tax notices to opposition parties and allegedly pressuring nationalized banks to extract funds.
He posed direct questions to the Finance Minister, challenging her to explain the sequence of events leading to the enrichment of BJP”s coffers.
“If you have nothing to hide, then are you willing to present a point-by-point rebuttal on the ‘Chronology’ of events which led to the filling of BJP’s treasury?” he asked.
He further questioned whether she would be willing to subjecting herself to a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into what he terms as “dubious deals” aimed at funneling donations to the BJP.
“If you are unwilling to come up with a factual explanation, then are you willing to present yourself for a Supreme Court monitored investigation in these dubious deals to loot donation for the BJP?” he added.
