New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the State Bank of India's (SBI) plea to extend the deadline on provinding information about the electoral bonds and ordered the bank to submit the data by March 12, 2024. 


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

As the apex court rejected SBI's request, Congress and Aam Admi Party (AAP) leaders slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for putting pressure on the SBI. He alleged that the Central government used electoral bonds as a barter to provide business contracts to corporate houses.


Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said that the data on the electoral bonds will expose the PM and his nexus of corrupt industrialists.


Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, "Narendra Modi's 'donation business' is about to get exposed! The government that came to power by promising to bring back black money from Swiss banks in 100 days, stood on its head in the Supreme Court for hiding the data of its own bank. Electoral Bonds is going to prove to be the biggest scam in Indian history, which will reveal the real face of Narendra Modi in front of the country by exposing the nexus of corrupt industrialists and the government." 



He further alleged that the government took donations in lieu of providing protection and business contracts to the corporates. "Shower blessings on those who donate to the party and tax burden on the general public, this is the Modi government of BJP," said Rahul Gandhi.


Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge also launched a scathing attack on the ruling party and alleged that SBI's request for extending the deadline for providing information regarding electoral bonds makes it evident that the Centre is doing everything in its power to cover up its tracks.


"After SBI asked for four and a half months to publish electoral bonds, it became clear that the Modi government is making every possible effort to cover up its dark deeds," wrot Kharge on X. "With today's decision of the Honorable Supreme Court, the country will soon know the list of those who donated to BJP through electoral bond," he added.



"This is the first step in exposing the corruption, scams and transactions of Modi government. Even now the country will not know for which contracts the selected capitalist fund holders of BJP were giving donations to the Modi government, for that the Honorable Supreme Court should give appropriate instructions," he further added.


Kharge further added, "Media reports have revealed how BJP used to extort donations by conducting ED-CBI-IT raids. The Supreme Court's decision is a victory for transparency, accountability, and level playing field in democracy."



Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj welcomed the order while hitting out at the BJP. "Supreme Court has ordered the SBI to submit the list of the companies who bought electoral bonds and which parties received the electoral bonds and from where. SBI wasn't providing this information, this clears so many things... SBI is hiding this under the pressure of the central government. The more they're hiding, it creates more doubt."