The Congress party recently talked about some important issues related to electoral bonds. These bonds are like special money notes used for political donations.

Top buyers of Electoral Bonds are:

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that the information about these bonds reveals some concerning things about the BJP’s actions. He mentioned that the BJP might be involved in activities like giving favors in return for donations, seeking protection money, and even money laundering through fake companies.

Mr. Ramesh also highlighted that the Congress wants each bond to have a unique ID number. This would help track who gave money to which party more accurately.

According to the data shared by the State Bank of India (SBI), more than 1,300 companies and individuals have donated electoral bonds. Out of these, over 6,000 crores went to the BJP since 2019.

Mr. Ramesh pointed out some specific instances where companies donated money and then got benefits from the government shortly afterward. For example, a company called Megha Engineering & Infra gave a lot of money in electoral bonds. Soon after, they received a big project from the government.

Another tactic mentioned is called ‘hafta vasooli’, where companies are raided by government agencies, and then they are asked for donations to avoid trouble. Mr. Ramesh claims that at least 14 of the top 30 donors have been raided by these agencies.

He also talked about a pattern where companies get government contracts and then donate to political parties. This seems like they’re repaying the favor they received from the government.

Mr. Ramesh raised concerns about missing data too. He mentioned that some bond data is missing, and it’s unclear why. He questioned why the BJP got a large portion of the funds in the early stages of the bond scheme.

Overall, the Congress party wants more transparency in how electoral bonds work and hopes that with better tracking, it will become clear where the money is coming from and going to in politics.