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.
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Advocate found dead in car on Nainital court premises
Nainital (PTI): A 55-year-old advocate allegedly died by suicide after shooting himself inside his car at the Nainital district court parking lot here on Monday, police said.
According to the police, Puran Singh Bhakuni, a resident of Mallital, was found in the rear seat of his vehicle with a gunshot wound to his temple.
Police recovered a licensed pistol from his hand and a suicide note from the car’s dashboard. The note stated that Bhakuni was unwell and suffering from depression.
"We received information through lawyers around noon. The deceased was lying in the back seat with a pistol in his hand and blood near his ear," Circle Officer Anjana Negi said.
Forensic teams and ballistic experts reached the spot to collect evidence, as no witness reported hearing the gunshot.
Government counsel Sushil Sharma stated that Bhakuni left home at 9 am and was found dead at 9.30 am.
Sharma raised concerns over the circumstances, noting that the body was in the rear seat, and demanded a thorough probe to rule out foul play. Bhakuni, who worked as a notary, had married six months ago, he said.
Police took the body into custody and sent it for a postmortem to confirm the cause of death.
The forensic laboratory will examine the suicide note and the ballistics of the weapon, the police said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
