BJP extorting money from private cos by misusing CBI, ED: Cong

BJP extorting money from private cos by misusing CBI, ED: Cong

Firing a fresh broadside at the BJP-led government, the Congress on Friday accused the ruling dispensation of extortion from private companies by misusing central probe agencies like the CBI and the ED.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a post on X wrote, “Do you know about the Prime Minister’s ‘donate, take bail and business scheme’ ? Like ‘vasuli bhai’, the Prime Minister is doing donation business by misusing ED, IT and CBI. Reports have revealed that 30 companies probed by the agencies donated Rs 335 crore to the BJP during the investigation.”

Without naming anyone, the Congress MP said, “The donation business is being run so shamelessly that the owners of a distillery in MP donated to the BJP as soon as they got the bail.”

Taking a dig at the government, Gandhi said, “Under the Modi rule, the ‘illegal donations’ and ‘electoral bonds’ given to BJP are the guarantee of ease of doing business.”

Echoing similar sentiments, Congress general secretary in-charge of organization KC Venugopal alleged that by fear and intimidation, they have forced the companies to donate to the BJP.

In a post on X, he said, “The Enforcement Directorate is the extortion department for Modi and Shah. The media revelations of 30 companies being coerced to donate to the BJP show that the entire country’s financial system has been brought to its knees to arrange funding for the ruling regime.”

Asserting not only is this completely vitiating the level playing field in democracy, it is also spreading “tax terrorism” across Indian industry, Venugopal said, “By fear and intimidation, they have forced companies to donate to them. Such a criminal misuse of agencies must be punished, and the justice system must take note of this egregious violation of constitutional norms.”

He also wrote a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to investigate the allegations of “quid-pro-quo” between BJP and donors of the party, which were raided by various investigative agencies.

“You may be aware that a scathing investigative report in the online publications – Newslaundry and The News Minute has exposed the alleged quid-pro-quo between BJP and several firms, who in a strange coincidence donated to it, after the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department and Central Bureau of Investigation and others, raided/searched those enterprises,” Venugopal said in his letter.

He further said, “At least 30 companies, which donated a total of nearly Rs 335 crore to the BJP between financial years 2018-19 and 2022-23, also faced action by central agencies during that period.”

The senior Congress leader also posed a volley of questions to the Finance Minister over the matter.

“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? If you are unwilling to come up with a factual explanation, then are you willing to present yourself for a Supreme Court monitored investigation in these dubious deals to loot donations for the BJP?,” he said.

Venugopal also said the party will take the matter to the “court of the people’’.