SBI moves SC seeking extension of time to disclose details of electoral bonds
Last-ditch attempt to hide Modi's real face before polls, says Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi, Mar 4: State Bank of India on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking an extension of time till June 30 to disclose details of each electoral bond encashed by political parties
In its verdict last month, the top court directed the SBI to furnish the details to the poll panel by March 6.
In an application filed before the top court, State Bank of India (SBI) contended that retrieval of information from "each silo" and the procedure of matching the information of one silo to that of the other would be a time-consuming exercise.
The plea submitted that due to stringent measures undertaken to ensure that the identity of the donors was kept anonymous, "decoding' the electoral bonds and matching donors to the donations made would be a complex process.
"It submitted that the data related to the issuance of the bond and the data related to the redemption of the bond was kept recorded in two different silos. No central database was maintained. This was done to ensure that donors' anonymity would be protected.
"It is submitted that donor details were kept in a sealed cover at the designated branches and all such sealed covers were deposited in the Main Branch of the Applicant bank, which is located in Mumbai," the plea said.
In a landmark judgement that delivered a big blow to the government, the Supreme Court on February 15 annulled the electoral bonds scheme for political funding, saying it violates the Constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression as well as the right to information.
In its verdict months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the apex court ordered SBI to disclose to the Election Commission the names of the contributors to the six-year-old scheme.
A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud directed that the SBI must disclose details of each electoral bond encashed by political parties. The information should include the date of encashment and the denomination of the bonds and be submitted to the poll panel by March 6.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday slammed the government over the State Bank of India moving the Supreme Court seeking an extension of time to disclose electoral bond details, terming it a "last-ditch attempt" before the Lok Sabha polls to hide Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "real face".
The State Bank of India (SBI) on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking an extension of time till June 30 to disclose details of each electoral bond encashed by political parties. In its verdict last month, the top court directed the SBI to furnish the details to the poll panel by March 6.
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "Narendra Modi has put his entire force in order to hide the 'donation business'."
"When the Supreme Court has stated that it is the right of the people of the country to know the truth about electoral bonds, then why does the SBI not want this information to be made public before the elections?" the former Congress chief said.
Asking for time till June 30 to provide information that can be retrieved in one click shows that the whole matter is fishy, he claimed.
"Every independent organization of the country is becoming part of the 'Modani family' in trying to cover up their corruption," Gandhi alleged, adding, "This is the 'last ditch attempt' to hide Modi's 'real face' before the elections."
नरेंद्र मोदी ने ‘चंदे के धंधे’ को छिपाने के लिए पूरी ताकत झोंक दी है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 4, 2024
जब सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने कहा है कि इलेक्टोरल बॉण्ड का सच जानना देशवासियों का हक़ है, तब SBI क्यों चाहता है कि चुनाव से पहले यह जानकारी सार्वजनिक न हो पाए?
एक क्लिक पर निकाली जा सकने वाली जानकारी के लिए 30 जून तक…
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Become CM after winning next Assembly polls: Minister KN Rajanna to DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Jan 10: Karnataka Minister K N Rajanna on Friday suggested Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to become Chief Minister of the state for the full five years, after winning the next Assembly polls under his leadership, rather than eyeing the post during the remaining two-and-half years of the current government's tenure.
His comments came following Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's recent dinner with select Dalit and ST Cabinet colleagues, creating a buzz within the Congress, amid speculation about a possible change of guard in the state after March, under a "rotational chief minister" or "power-sharing" formula.
Cooperation Minister Rajanna, who is considered to be a confidant of Siddaramaiah, was also part of the dinner meeting.
Shivakumar has made no secret of his ambition to become the CM.
"As a human being, the desire for power is natural. I don't feel that him (Shivakumar) showing interest or desire for the Chief Minister post is wrong. Previous (2023) election was under the leadership of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, and people blessed us (Congress)," Rajanna said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, the high command has appointed the legislature party leader, who is the CM, and they have the powers to change the leader in the future if they want, and everyone will accept whatever decision they make.
"Let's go for the next Assembly polls under Shivakumar's leadership, and with the party coming to power once again under his leadership, let him be the chief minister for the full five years, why fight for two-and-half years now?"
Rajanna said, "I'm not saying don't fight for two-and-half years. My suggestion for him is why fight to be CM for two-and-half years, become CM for a full five years. Who will object..."
Asked if he will be minister in Shivakumar's cabinet if there is a chance, Rajanna said, he won't contest elections anymore, and also don't expect to become minister in anyone's cabinet.
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the CM's post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May 2023, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the Deputy Chief Minister.
There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years, but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.
A meeting of Congress leaders, ministers, and lawmakers from SC/ST communities, scheduled for Wednesday evening under the leadership of Home Minister G Parameshwara and supported by Rajanna, had to be postponed following instructions from AICC general secretary in-charge of the state, Randeep Singh Surjewala.
According to sources, the decision to postpone the meeting came after Shivakumar, a chief ministerial aspirant, met AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal in New Delhi on Monday night to discuss party developments.
A section within the Congress feels that the SC/ST convention and Parameshwara's dinner meeting could revive the demand for a Dalit or AHINDA (a Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes, and Dalits) leader to become the next chief minister. This could complicate Shivakumar's prospects if Siddaramaiah steps down after the state budget, as speculated.
Rajanna had in the past demanded the party to enforce the 'one person, one post' policy, which was seen as a move to mount pressure on Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief.
He had also batted for three more Deputy Chief Ministers -- from Veerashaiva-Lingayat, SC/ST and minority communities -- along with Shivakumar a Vokkaliga.
Reacting to union minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy's 60 per cent commission charge against the Congress government, Rajanna said, "Ask Kumaraswamy how much is his percentage and let's say what is the difference later. Is Kumaraswamy a Satya Harishchandra?"
Claiming that 90 per cent of political leaders in this country are corrupt, he said, "How much would we spend during elections? Where does that money come from? Do we spend by selling our assets? Don't we borrow from someone for it? Does the person who lends money, lends just like that? If we speak the truth before the media, it will become an issue. The situation is such that the truth cannot not be spoken."
