Do Parties Want To Clean-Up Political Funding At All?

When the finance bill was passed in the Lok Sabha without debate last week, there was so much uproar that such an important bill was not discussed that one almost missed this crucial detail. Among the laws that were passed that day was a bill that will exempt political parties from scrutiny of funds they have received from abroad since 1976. This controversial bill was cleared by an amendment to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act of 2010 that bans overseas corporations from funding parties. The centre had in 2016 amended the FCRA to make it easier for parties to accept foreign funds. Now, it has amended it further so that foreign funding of parties isn't open to scrutiny for the last 42 years. The retrospective amendment will help the BJP and the Congress escape the fallout of a 2014 Delhi high court judgment that held both guilty of violating the FCRA.