Many purchasing electoral bonds soon after raids by Central agencies is not mere coincidence: Minister

March 18, 2024 07:21 pm | Updated 07:21 pm IST - KALABURAGI

Delving deep into the controversial electoral bonds case, Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ran India’s biggest extortion racket by misusing Central agencies such as the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) and Income Tax (IT) Department to threaten big corporate houses and extort over ₹6,900 crore through electoral bonds.

Addressing a media conference at the Congress office here on Monday, Dr. Patil held that many corporate houses and business entities purchasing electoral bonds soon after they were raided by Central agencies such as ED and IT Department is not mere coincidence.

“The data that is now available in public domain established that Mr. Modi extorted over ₹6,900 crore for his party by misusing his power as Prime Minister. It is clear now that Central agencies such as the ED and IT Department, at the behest of the Modi government, threatened big corporate houses with raids and forced them to purchase electoral bonds in favour of the BJP. Mr. Modi, during his recent visit to Kalaburagi, said that the Congress is using Karnataka as an ATM to supply money for maintaining the party expenses. However, the data submitted by State Bank of India (SBI) to the Election Commission of India as per Supreme Court directions clearly established that the BJP is using big corporate houses as its ATM to run the party,” Dr. Patil said.

Taking serious exception to the SBI, a Union government undertaking that was the only authorised financial institution to sell electoral bonds, seeking inordinately more time for furnishing details on electoral bond sales, Dr. Patil said that the State-owned bank tried to cover up the BJP’s misdeeds.

“In the Supreme Court, the SBI sought an extension of time till June 30 to disclose details so as to allow the BJP to spend the money extorted from the corporate entities through illegal electoral bonds in the imminent Lok Sabha elections. The Supreme Court, however, did not allow this to happen. It slapped on the face of both the SBI and the BJP-led Union government by forcing the SBI to furnish the details immediately within the stipulated time. When asked about this electoral bond scam, Mr. Modi said he will not answer. It means that he has no answer,” he said.

‘Zero contribution’

Referring to Mr. Modi’s recent public address in Kalaburagi in which he said the Congress did little to develop the backward Kalyana Karnataka region, Dr. Patil hit back with a challenge to the BJP and Mr. Modi to list out their contribution to the development of the region and compare them with contribution made by the Congress for the cause.

“The BJP was in power in the State for 11 years. It is in power at the Centre for the last 10 years. Let the BJP leaders contribute to the development of the region. Their contribution to the region is a big zero. All the developments you see in Kalaburagi and Kalyana Karnataka are those of the Congress. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre, upon insistence by the Congress veteran M. Mallikarjun Kharge, established the ESIC Hospital and the Central University in Kalaburagi. Medical colleges in Bidar, Kalaburagi, Raichur and Koppal were established when the Congress was in power in the State. Hospitals with 500 beds were established in Bidar and Raichur during the Congress regime in the State. Trauma centres were established in Kalaburagi and Ballari when the Congress government was in power. The BJP has done nothing for the region. Let the BJP show just one such structure it built in the region during its tenures,” he said.

Dr. Patil recalled how the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government rejected the demand for special status for the Kalyana Karnataka region through Article 371(J) to the Constitution to stress its “step-motherly treatment” to the backward region.

“L.K. Advani, who was the Deputy Prime Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, simply rejected the demand for Article 371(J) for giving special status to Kalyana Karnataka stating that it is impossible. However, the Congress made it possible when it came to power. Due to the special status, Kalyana Karnataka is getting a 1,000 medical seats and thousands of engineering seats every year. Candidates from the region are getting reservation in government jobs and the region is getting thousands of crores of rupees in special grants for development work. It is a monumental achievement from which present and future generations in the region will benefit a lot,” he said.

He also said that Mr. Modi is deliberately depriving Kalaburagi of its due share in the Union government’s development initiatives just because it is the home turf of All India Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge who questioned and countered Mr. Modi in Parliament.

“Mr. Modi is taking revenge against Mr. Kharge by depriving Kalaburagi of its due share in the Union government’s development initiatives,” he said.