Not only India's, Electoral Bonds world's biggest scam: Finance Minister's husband says
New Delhi: Renowned economist Parakala Prabhakar, husband of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has predicted that the "Electoral bond issue" will significantly impact the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming elections.
Prabhakar expressed his views to reporters, stating, "The electoral bond issue will gain much more momentum than it is today. Everybody is now understanding that it is not only the biggest scam in India but is the biggest scam in the world. Because of this issue, this government will be severely punished by the electorate."
The BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has emerged as the primary beneficiary of electoral bonds, as indicated by data available on the official website of the Election Commission of India. Between April 12, 2019, and February 15, 2024, the BJP received the highest funds via electoral bonds, amounting to ₹6,986.5 crore. Trinamool Congress, the ruling party in West Bengal, followed with ₹1,397 crore, trailed by the Congress with ₹1,334 crore, and Bharat Rashtra Samithi with ₹1,322 crore.
In a significant development, the Supreme Court, in a ruling in February, invalidated the Centre's Electoral Bond Scheme, which permitted anonymous funding to political parties, and directed the State Bank of India to cease issuing Electoral Bonds immediately.
According to the data, 41 companies under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the Income Tax Department contributed ₹2,471 crore to the BJP through electoral bonds, with ₹1,698 crore donated after raids by these agencies.
Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan highlighted specific instances, stating, "Future Gaming donated ₹60 crore to the BJP within three months of I-T and ED raids on November 12, 2023, and December 1, 2021, respectively. Aurobindo Pharma contributed ₹5 crore to the BJP within three months of the ED raid on November 10, 2022."
Following these revelations, opposition parties have condemned electoral bonds as legalized corruption, while the BJP has argued that abolishing the bonds could lead to the resurgence of black money in politics.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
