Electoral bonds are 'legalised bribery', says P Chidambaram
New Delhi (PTI): Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday described electoral bonds as "legalised bribery" and claimed that, as their fresh tranche opens on October 4, it will be a "golden harvest" for the BJP.
The government on Friday approved the issuance of the 28th tranche of electoral bonds that will open for sale for 10 days beginning October 4.
The decision comes ahead of assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram. The poll dates in these states are likely to be announced soon.
In a post on X, Chidambaram noted that the 28th tranche of the electoral bonds will open on October 4 and said, "It will be a golden harvest for the BJP. Going by the past records, 90 per cent of the so-called anonymous donations will go to the BJP."
"The crony capitalists will open their cheque books to write out their 'tribute' to the lord and master in Delhi," the former Union minister said.
Electoral bonds are "legalised bribery", Chidambaram added.
Electoral bonds have been pitched as an alternative to cash donations made to political parties as part of efforts to bring transparency to political funding.
The sale of the first batch of electoral bonds took place in March 2018. The State Bank of India (SBI) is the only bank authorised to issue electoral bonds.
Electoral bonds can be purchased by Indian citizens or entities incorporated or established in the country.
Registered political parties that have secured not less than 1 per cent of the votes polled in the last Lok Sabha or legislative assembly elections are eligible to receive funding through electoral bonds.
The Congress had alleged on Tuesday that the electoral bonds scheme is one of the most "diabolical acts" of the Narendra Modi government as it undermines the electoral system and democracy in the country.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
