Congress share was 11 % and BJP got nearly 48 percent
New Delhi
Darkness is never the end; and so the search for Light must continue.
The second biggest beneficiary from Electoral Bonds was the Trinamool Congress, which received Rs.1,609.50 crore -- 12.6 percent and the Congress with pan-India presence got only 11 percent.
Mamata's share was enhanced after her win in the 2021 assembly polls.
Money does walk-the-talk.
No right-person could possibly say that India's Supreme Court is wrong. In the case related to the Electoral Bonds, the apex court is absolutely correct to talk about transparency. The ruling nullifying the Electoral Bonds scheme is therefore correct and in favour of democracy and even people's right to know.
However, the verdict does not resolve the problem of dirty money in Indian elections and also does not offer any proper route vis-a-vis electoral funding.
Data has come out; but it perhaps conceals a lot more than giving out certain figures. The fact that two large business houses Reliance and business empire of Gautam Adani did not figure in the list of donors is baffling.
Another facet that leaves some awe struck is Trinamool Congress managing to get more funds than Mamata Banerjee's parent party, the Congress. Does it show, TMC as a more popular outfit than the Congress of Rahul Gandhi. In Nagaland, the NDPP-BJP regime may be smiling.
I say this more so because most NDPP leaders are ex-Congress veterans and there are quite a few ex-Congress leaders in the BJP -- in Nagaland and also in states such as Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
The Reliance as a business house was the creation of the triumvir Dhirubhai Ambani, Indira Gandhi and Pranab Mukherjee. Gautam Adani of course is creation of the 'new India' era under Narendra Modi; and there is nothing wrong in both the cases.
A society and a nation cannot prosper without industrialists. Nagaland has a typical experience of extortion by as many as 24 factions and also 'others' in more ways than one; and we know why many people are running towards Khatkhati these days.
Take a closer look at the following figures.
#BJP: Over Rs 6,000 crore (nearly 48 percent)
#Trinamool Congress (TMC)- Rs 1,610 crore
Rahul-Sonia Gandhi-led Congress- Rs 1,422 crore
Telangana's Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS): Rs 1,215 crore
Naveen Patnaik-led BJD in Odisha : Rs 776 crore.
One can easily draw some conclusions. The details published after the top court's intervention confirms one obvious - the big financial advantage of PM Narendra Modi's party ahead of general elections.
The Congress is crying foul. It could be a case of grapes being sour also. Ask K Therie, who could not manage enough funds to field even 60 candidates in 2018 and 2023 elections.
It is obvious no ordinary citizen can participate in the electoral process unless he/she has the backing of a cash-rich uncle. Smaller parties in Nagaland such as NCP and NPP know where it pinches.
Despite serious attempts, a group of former legislators could not float any party or contest 2023 assembly elections in Nagaland. Now as the data is out; we are in a season of accusations and counter-accusations.
One analogy is ED was sent and BJP got the funding. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has sought to counter this and even counselled - "Smart hardworking research will do good rather than lazy journalism".
"The ED went and therefore they gave you (to BJP)...but what about the rest of it....Which ED was sent to them and they have also given," she said on Friday.
"....Are you sure they have given it to the BJP? (after ED raids) They have probably given it to the regional parties. What makes you think so many things and build the narrative?", she said.
The real issue is that the issue of 'money and elections' is not solvable exclusively by a law.
It is primarily political and also a bit moral. In Nagaland, its festivity.
Tomorrow, if we have a system that says Indian currency is banned till voting is done; probably only honourable Governor of Nagaland may like to exercise his franchise.
The society is already in silence. In future, they will not need any tranquilizer.
Finally, the Supreme Court has weighed in favour of political democracy and also transparency.
But it has put an extraordinary and a new burden on India’s political class. Interesting times ahead.
ends
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