BJP extorting money by intimidating private companies: Congress on BJP receiving Rs 335 cr from firms

New Delhi: Terming the BJP Government as a "Hafta Wasooli" government, the Congress on Friday accused the central government of "intimidating and arm twisting" private companies to force them to donate funds to the party.

The Congress also dared the BJP to investigate the allegations of quid-pro-quo between BJP and its donors which have been raided by various investigative agencies.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, party leader Jairam Ramesh said, “It is a clear case of ‘hafta wasooli’ (extortion)”. Several companies that were raided/searched by Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax Department (IT) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have later seemed to be forced to donate to the BJP”.

He said the party general secretary KC Venugopal has written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking a probe into “the allegations of quid-pro-quo between BJP and donors of the BJP which have been raided by various investigative agencies” and demanded a debate on BJP’s finances.

Ramesh said, “Between 2018-2023, the central agencies took action against nearly 30 private companies. In the last four years, BJP received donations of nearly Rs 335 crore from these companies. Of these, 23 firms which gave Rs 187.58 crore to the party during this period had never donated to the BJP between 2014 and the year of the raid”.

Ramesh alleged that at least three BJP donors, who were not part of the list of 30, had been accused of receiving undue favours from the Modi government.

Taking a jibe at the Prime Minister's "Na Khaunga, Na Khane Dunga” statement, the Congress leader said, "But his government seemed to practice the opposite. It practices “Zabardasti Chanda Jama Karunga”!

He asked the Finance Minister, “Just as BJP came out with a White Paper on the economy, would you come up with a “White Paper” on BJP’s finances, not just the sources, but how you coerced corporate firms to donate, by misusing investigative agencies against them?

He said, “While on one hand politics of oppression and vengeance in taking place against the Congress party on the other hand ED, CBI, IT are being misused against private companies so that money can be extorted from them”.

"This is against democracy. But the Prime Minister and the Home Minister are crossing all limits for the sake of power," he added.