Electoral bonds world's biggest extortion racket: Rahul Gandhi

Thane: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that the electoral bonds scheme was the world's largest extortion racket and that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's brain child. Speaking during the concluding leg of his `Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', Gandhi alleged that funds acquired through this scheme were used to fragment parties like the Shiv Sena and NCP, and orchestrate government turnovers.

Criticizing the electoral bonds scheme, Gandhi asserted that it was initially presented by the Prime Minister as a means to cleanse the political financing system, but instead evolved into a method of coercing contributions from India's major corporations. He labelled it as the world's largest extortion operation and urged for an investigation into its workings.

"Some years ago, the prime minister claimed to have designed the electoral bonds (scheme) to clean up the political finance system. It turns out that this was the way of extorting money from India's largest corporates. It was meant to intimidate corporates into giving money to the BJP....It is the largest extortion racket in the world....I hope investigation takes place," he said.

Addressing concerns about companies donating electoral bonds to the Congress and receiving contracts in states governed by the party, Gandhi dismissed any connection between state-level contracts and corporate contributions. He alleged a pattern wherein companies, after facing investigations by agencies like the CBI and ED, subsequently donated funds to the BJP.

Gandhi claimed that the scheme facilitated anonymous corporate donations, asserting that some companies only began donating to the BJP following legal actions against them. Accusing the Prime Minister of orchestrating a grand theft, Gandhi emphasized the alleged anti-national implications of the electoral bonds scheme, linking it to the BJP's actions in splitting regional parties and destabilizing opposition governments.

Responding to queries, Gandhi stated that the Congress' central election committee and party president Mallikarjun Kharge would determine his candidacy for the Lok Sabha election from Amethi.

Regarding recent departures of state Congress leaders, Gandhi expressed confidence in the party's stability in Maharashtra and predicted victory for Congress and its allies in the Lok Sabha elections with significant margins. When pressed about contesting from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, Gandhi deferred to the decision of the central election committee and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge.
(With PTI inputs.)