PM, BJP indulged in large-scale corruption through electoral bonds: Rahul

Jaipur, April 11: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP on Thursday of indulging in large-scale corruption through electoral bonds.
“Extortion is going on and its name is electoral bonds,” Gandhi said while addressing a rally in Phalodi in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur constituency in support of the Congress candidate from the seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Karan Singh Uchiyarda.
Holding that the electoral bonds scheme was “unconstitutional and manifestly arbitrary”, the Supreme Court directed the State Bank of India on February 15 to furnish the complete details of the bonds purchased since April 12, 2019 to the EC, which would publish the information on its website by March 13.
Gandhi said Gautam Adani’s stock prices started rising after 2014, when the BJP came to power at the Centre, and continue to rise because the entire country knows that the industrialist enjoys a very good relationship with the prime minister.
“Modi said ‘I want to eliminate corruption’ and brought the electoral bonds scheme. Industrialists gave thousands of crores of rupees to the BJP (through the electoral bonds). Modi said no one should know the name of the person who gives money under the scheme. A few days ago, the Supreme Court said the scheme is illegal and should be cancelled,” Gandhi said.
“An industrialist gets a big road contract and after a few days, he gives thousands of crores of rupees to the BJP. They are taking money in two ways — one way is that they give out contracts and the businessmen (who bag the contracts) give them a cut of the money.
“Secondly, CBI or ED cases are made, the industrialists (at the receiving end of such cases) give them money and the cases disappear. Extortion is going on, its name is electoral bonds,” he said.
Citing an example, Gandhi said a CBI inquiry was initiated against the owner of the Mumbai airport and subsequently, the control of the airport was given to Adani.
“Modi has established a monopoly on corruption. Modi and the BJP have done maximum corruption in the country through the electoral bonds,” he alleged.
Gandhi accused the prime minister of giving the entire wealth of the country to selected people in the last five to 10 years.
He said be it airports, ports, highways, coal, electricity or the defence sector — Modi has given all the benefits to Adani.
“I gave a speech about him (Adani) in Parliament and my membership was taken away. The Supreme Court made me an MP again. I had just asked Modi what is his relation with him (Adani). My membership was cancelled and then they took my house.
He highlighted the promises made in the Congress’s manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls and said the new government of the INDIA bloc will deposit Rs 1 lakh per year in the bank account of a woman in every poor family, 30 lakh vacancies in government jobs will be filled, the Agnipath scheme for short-term military recruitment will be scrapped and 50 per cent reservation will be given to women in government jobs. (PTI)
“Farmer ask if loans of billionaires can be waived, then why not ours? As soon as our government comes, we will make MSP (minimum support price for crops) legal. Just as Modi has waived loans of Rs 16 lakh crore of big industrialists, we will waive the loans of farmers again,” Gandhi said.
“In the last 10 years, the prime minister made different promises like depositing Rs 15 lakh in every bank account but nothing has been fulfilled. Demonetisation was done and the GST (Goods and Services Tax) was wrongly implemented. Modi worked for the richest billionaires of India, but did nothing for the farmers, labourers and small businessmen,” he said.
Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot also addressed the rally. PTI SDA RC
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