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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PM, his brigade bruised, exposed for their lies: Cong on Vande Mataram debate
New Delhi (PTI): After both Houses held a debate on 150 years of Vande Mataram, the Congress on Thursday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and "his entire brigade" have been thoroughly "bruised and exposed for their lies".
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh noted that the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha debated Vande Mataram for this week.
The national anthem also figured in some speeches, he said in a post on X.
"It is clear that the PM and his entire brigade have NOT read the two definitive and authoritative books on the national song and the national anthem - written by two of India's finest historians, in the true sense of that term," Ramesh said and shared the screenshot of the cover pages of Rudrangshu Mukherjee's 'Song of India: A Study of the National Anthem' and Sabyasachi Bhattacharya's Vande Materam.
"It is too much to expect that they would do so even after being thoroughly bruised and exposed for their lies," the Congress leader said.
In another post, Ramesh said, "To clear up all the misinformation that the PM and his acolytes have been spreading, this is a compilation of 12 letters and notes penned by the many founding fathers of the Indian Republic, documenting their thoughts on Vande Mataram -- Letter from Rajendra Prasad to Sardar Patel (28/9/1937); letter from Subhas Chandra Bose to Rabindranath Tagore (16/10/37); letter from Tagore to Bose (19/10/37); letter from Bose to Nehru (17/10/37); letter from Nehru to Bose (20.10.37); letter from Tagore to Nehru (26.10.37);CWC Resolution on Bande Mataram (Kolkata 28/10/37); JB Kripalani to (C. Rajagopalachari) re Gandhi note (2/1/39); Rajaji to Patel re Gandhi note 7/1/39; Pant to Nehru re Gandhi note 8/1/39; Nehru to Pant re Gandhi not 16/1/39; Gandhi note in Harijan weekly (1.7.39)."
Earlier, Ramesh had cited historian Sugata Bose's remarks that it was on Rabindranath Tagore's advice that the party decided in 1937 that only the first part of Vande Mataram would be sung at national meetings, and said these comments "further expose" Prime Minister Modi.
While the Lok Sabha held the debate on 150 years of Vande Mataram on Monday, Rajya Sabha debated on it for over two days - Tuesday, Wednesday and a part of Thursday.
The Opposition on Wednesday accused BJP leaders of distorting history, with Ramesh saying that the whole aim of the debate on 150 years of Vande Mataram was to malign first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and insult freedom fighters, including Rabindranath Tagore.
On Monday, Modi tore into the Congress, alleging that Nehru betrayed "Vande Mataram" by bowing to Muhammad Ali Jinnah's opposition to the national song that led to it being fragmented and pandering to his communal concerns, putting India on the path of appeasement politics.
The debate on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram saw the treasury and opposition members locked in a verbal duel on a host of issues, including nationalism, in both Houses.
