SC should've improved it: Amit Shah on electoral bonds order
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said he "fully respects" the Supreme Court's decision on the Electoral Bonds Scheme (EBS), but noted that it should have been improved rather than scrapped. Speaking at the India Today Conclave, he said electoral bonds were introduced to end the influence of black money in the country's politics. Shah also spoke about the idea of "One Nation, One Election," which he believed would lead to faster development and reduced recurring expenses.
Why does this story matter?
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday made public the data on electoral bonds provided by the State Bank of India. According to the data, 1,260 companies and people bought 22,217 bonds worth Rs. 12,155.51, while 23 political parties redeemed them. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received the highest donation, redeeming bonds worth Rs. 6,061 crore. To recall, last month, the SC struck down the EBS for political funding, saying that it violates the citizens' right to information.
Shah accused opposition of keeping donations to themselves
Shah accused opposition parties of accepting donations in cash and keeping a portion to themselves. "The Congress Party has run this system for years," he alleged. Reacting to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's claim that electoral bonds are the largest extortion activity, Shah provided a breakdown of the distribution. He said the BJP received roughly Rs. 6,000 crore of the total Rs. 20,000 crore electoral bonds, followed by the Trinamool Congress (Rs. 1,600 crore) and Congress (Rs. 1,400 crore) and others.
Shah on One Nation, One Election
Shah also emphasized the advantages of One Nation and One Election, explaining that it would reduce repeated expenses and prevent development projects from being halted due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). "The idea of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP behind One Nation, One Election is that elections are held again and again in the country and this leads to repeated expenditure," he said. He said the imposition of MCC adversely affects the decision-making of the government.
About Lok Sabha elections
Further, the home minister spoke about the upcoming elections and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)'s seat-sharing in Bihar and Delhi. "Everyone is united in NDA in Bihar and this time NDA will win all the seats in Bihar under the leadership of Bharatiya Janata Party," he said. He said the BJP got over 50% of all seats in Delhi in the last two Lok Sabha polls, and it is going to increase its vote share this time.
