BJP And Its Enrooting Financial Dominance: Report (image-facebook/BJP)A recent report by The Wire gives information regarding the whereabouts of the financial funding of the saffron party. As per its findings, there is a huge gap between what the party says it has collected and the money it has drawn to build hundreds of classy offices.
Three kilometers from the town of Krishnagiri in northwestern Tamil Nadu, a new building can be seen standing on the national highway between Bangalore and Chennai. The five-floored building was inaugurated last year.
The parking space of the building is disproportionately large and almost three times the plinth area. And the BJP’s trademark saffron and green lotus is embossed atop. This is the BJP’s new party office in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district.
The office came into existence as per the party’s order in 2014, that the party should have offices in all states and districts equipped with all modern communication facilities. As its initial step to execute the plan, the saffron party built new offices in 635 of 694 districts. By March 2023, the target was hiked to 887 district party offices.
However, this construction spree by the saffron party has not received as much recognition as it deserves.
BJP general secretary, Arun Singh, said, “Earlier…an MLA or local leader (would) make the office on his own premise [sic]. Because of this, several other leaders will not come to the office. Since the party has grown, it should have offices on its own with all facilities like library, conference hall and video and audio conferencing room,” reports Economic Times.
In terms of size, this building is just an outliner.
The total number of buildings under construction is still unclear. The paradox in the tale is that ever since India was hit hard by COVID-19, the country’s economy witnessed a steep decline. The country was already hit by demonetization and GST and the youth is struggling with joblessness.
However, when Indians struggle, the economy of the BJP has seen a dramatic improvement. The Wire report states that not only the BJP is outspending rivals in elections, but it is also amassing real estate assets while maintaining healthy cash reserves – Rs 5,400 crore, by March 2023.
So, the question now remains how much money does BJP have?
This question has not received as much attention as it needed. Though the political parties submit their financial reports to the Election Commission, it is mostly are of sanitized form. The parties never disclose their exact income.
A Raipur-based political observer has said to The Wire that “The BJP’s electoral dominance comes out of its financial dominance.”
Ten years later when the saffron party came into power, no Indian had any idea how much the party’s pocket had grown or about the financial reserve built.
But now looking at the party’s construction spree and campaign expenditure, the financial report submitted to EC, one recognizes that it is thus a gross understatement.
From the building and campaign expenditure, the sum ranges between Rs 74,053 crore and Rs 107,803 which is five to seven times the party’s declared income of Rs 14,663 crore between 2014-15 and 2022-23.
And what is caught with the electoral bond will not even make up to 10% of that. Apart from the construction and campaign, the party has also used political defections as an instrument to repeatedly topple governments. Investigations are still being held in different states on this matter. In Telangana, the CBI is officially investigating a criminal case in which four BRS MLAs claimed they were offered sums of Rs 50 crore and even Rs 100 crore to defect to the BJP.
The outcome of the paradox is that when the whole country is struggling to feed itself, the parties representing the 800 million people are getting fatter in the mother of democracy.