Bengaluru: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday termed the electoral bonds as a “biggest extortion scam” where donations were collected by way of threats (mainly to companies) and money has been allegedly looted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holding reins at the Centre.
“Usually, petty goons engage in issuing threats and loot money and in ordinary language, it is called as an extortion,” Rahul said on donations collected through electoral bonds and alleged that Companies were being threatened (by BJP government) and the BJP got profit shares from these Companies such as from infrastructure projects.
He alleged that Companies were threatened using sleuths of Central Bureau of Investigations, Enforcement Directorate and others and after these targeted Companies paid donations to BJP, investigations from CBI and ED stopped against such Companies.
Rahul said he observed Prime Minister Narendra Modi was shaken during an interview which was for about one-and half hour when he was queried on electoral bonds and asked the people to watch the interview of Narendra Modi in which he tried to defend electoral bonds.
In his election campaign in Mandya town, Rahul Gandhi said the Supreme Court termed electoral bonds as ‘illegal’ and banned it. The Supreme Court also asked that the data on electoral bonds be put in the public domain.
On electoral bonds, Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stated electoral bonds to cleanse the political system of the country but “Who gave the donations? and “On which date?” among other details were not disclosed to the public.
If voted to power at the Centre in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi assured the farmers to waive off farm loans across the country and criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his decision to waive off loans of rich and industrialists during his regime.
He assured farmers that they will get a legalized guaranteed price for their produce and also to settle insurance claims of farmers within 30 days after receipt of the crop insurance claim.
The poor women of the country, he assured, Rs 8,500 financial assistance a month from the Central Government, besides, the existing Rs 2,000 cash benefit scheme of the Karnataka government and in all a woman of a poor family Rahul said will be getting Rs 10,500 a month if Congress party comes to power at the Centre. “It’s the guarantee of the Congress party and India National Development Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) bloc,” he said and stated that the cash benefit scheme will “transform crores of lives” and “a revolutionary step.”
Rahul Gandhi also assured to end the contract labour system in government and public sector undertakings if Congress is voted to power keeping in mind the job security and unemployed youths will get quality training for them to get employed and through this way, he said, public sector undertakings will get trained manpower.
