"Opposition Got Bonds Too, Is It Extortion?" Amit Shah Rebuts Rahul Gandhi

Countering the Opposition's charge on the now-scrapped electoral bonds system, Union Home Minister Amit Shah today asked if the Opposition parties would also describe donations they received through bonds as "extortion".

Mr Shah's remarks, made in an exclusive interview to NDTV, were a sharp response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has said the electoral bonds system was the "world's biggest extortion scheme" and called Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "champion of corruption".

Responding to the Opposition parties charge on the issue in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, Mr Shah said, "Their parties have also received donations through bonds. Is that extortion as well? Rahul Gandhi must tell the people, yes, we have also extorted. And the donation they have received in proportion to the number of MPs is more than what we got. They don't have an issue, there is no allegation of corruption against us. So they are trying to create confusion. They won't be successful."

In a landmark verdict on February 15, the Supreme Court scrapped the electoral bonds scheme on the grounds that it violates the citizens' right to information. The scheme, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said, was unconstitutional and arbitrary and may lead to a quid pro quo arrangement between political parties and donors.

The Constitution bench of five judges held that the stated objective of fighting black money and maintaining the confidentiality of donors cannot defend the scheme. Electoral bonds, the court said, are not the only way to curb black money.

Subsequently, in data released by State Bank of India and made public by Election Commission of India, the BJP was found to have received maximum funds through these bonds -- Rs 6,986.5 crore -- since they were introduced in 2018. The BJP was followed by Trinamool Congress at Rs 1,397 crore and Congress at Rs 1,334 crore.