The Congress on Sunday kicked up a political storm against the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP seeking the resignation of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman amid an FIR in the scrapped electoral bonds case. They blamed Sitharaman of denying democracy and demanded for an investigation on the scheme through a SIT, which would be conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court. The FIR was lodged later after a court order in Bengaluru over a complaint by Adarsh R Iyer, co-president of the ‘Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishath’ (JSP).
The complaint accuses Sitharaman of organising an extortion ring along with the members of the ED and BJP which used the electoral bonds to loot more than ₹8,000 crore. A FIR has been filed naming Sitharaman, Karanataka BJP chief B Y Vijayendra, state BJP spokesperson Nalin Kumar Kateel among others. They have been accused of performing an act intending to alarm by demanding with intent to pocket (IPC, Section 384), Criminal conspiracy (IPC, Section 120B), and common intention (IPC, Section 34).
Speaking to the media, senior Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Abhishek Singhvi protested Sitharaman’s alleged involvement calling for her resignation. He said the finance minister was “political, legal, moral guilty” and needed to leave her position.
The Congress also called for an independent probe into the electoral bonds scheme which the Supreme Court quashed earlier this year. The supreme court had said that the scheme infringed on the right of access to information and freedom of expression thus compromising the integrity of free, fair and credible elections. Singhvi further said, “The problem is a lot bigger than how free and fair polls can be ensured but developing a level playing field to facilitate the same.” This is an attack on our democratic system,’ while has termed the same as ‘EBS – Extortionist BJP Scheme’.
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