Amit Shah counters Rahul Gandhi’s claim that Electoral Bonds are used for extortion.

In an interview with NDTV, Union Home Minister Amit Shah responded to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the now-scrapped electoral bonds system. Shah questioned whether the Opposition parties would also consider the donations they received through bonds as “extortion.” He argued that the opposition parties have also received donations through bonds and called on Rahul Gandhi to address this issue. The Supreme Court delivered a significant ruling on February 15, scrapping the electoral bonds scheme, stating that it violated the citizens’ right to information.

The scheme was deemed unconstitutional and arbitrary, with concerns that it could lead to a quid pro quo arrangement between political parties and donors. The court held that the objective of fighting black money and maintaining the confidentiality of donors did not justify the scheme, and there are alternative methods to curb black money. Following the implementation of the electoral bonds in 2018, data released by the State Bank of India and made public by the Election Commission of India revealed that the BJP had received the highest amount of funds through these bonds, totaling Rs 6,986.5 crore. This was followed by the Trinamool Congress at Rs 1,397 crore and the Congress at Rs 1,334 crore.