The Congress party slammed the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJ) on Sunday following the filing of a case in Karnataka against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and others related to the now-scrapped electoral bonds scheme. The party has called for her resignation and demanded an impartial investigation supervised by the courts.
At a press conference in Bengaluru, AICC spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, alongside Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, expressed hope that the judicial process would summon those involved in this “corruption,” leading to their arrest.
“All the agencies, all the official organs know very well how to proceed because they have been proceeding against a large number of political opponents (of the BJP) in the last 11 years. They do not have to be told how to proceed…. We would certainly demand an objective probe under the courts’ control but more importantly, ultimately supervised either by the Supreme Court or an SIT of the Supreme Court,” Singhvi said.
The opposition party reiterated its demand for a Supreme Court-monitored inquiry into the electoral bonds scheme. Ramesh accused the government of using four methods to extort money through what he called a “conspiracy of electoral bonds”: prepaid bribery, postpaid bribery, post-raid bribery, and the use of shell companies.
He stated that Sitharaman should resign immediately on political, legal, and moral grounds, claiming she is “guilty.” Ramesh clarified that the FIR was filed following court orders and that Congress is not involved in the proceedings. He stressed the party’s continued demand for a Supreme Court-monitored investigation.
Singhvi also criticised the ruling BJP for allegedly undermining democracy, stating, “The finance minister cannot do this on her own. We know who is number one and number two (in the government) and this was done on whose directions.” He underscored the necessity of a level playing field for free and fair elections, calling it an attack on democracy and labeling it as the “Extortionist BJP Scheme.”
The FIR against Sitharaman was registered on Saturday following a complaint related to the electoral bonds scheme, which the Supreme Court struck down in February, stating it violated the right to information and freedom of speech under the Constitution.
According to police reports, the FIR includes charges under the Indian Penal Code for extortion, criminal conspiracy, and common intention against Sitharaman, Enforcement Directorate officials, and BJP office-bearers at both the state and national levels. Notably, Karnataka BJP chief B.Y. Vijayendra and party leader Nalin Kumar Kateel have also been named in the FIR.
The complaint, submitted by Adarsh R. Iyer, co-president of the Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishath, alleges that the accused “committed extortion under the guise of electoral bonds” and benefitted to the tune of over Rs 8,000 crore. It further claims that Sitharaman, with the clandestine support of ED officials, facilitated the extortion of thousands of crores for the benefit of various individuals at state and national levels.