BJP bagging huge money through electoral bonds ahead of polls: Mamata Banerjee

Himachal Pradesh goes to poll on November 12 while assembly elections in Gujarat will be held in December

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is bagging crores of rupees through electoral bonds ahead of the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections, Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee alleged on Wednesday.

Mamata Banerjee was addressing a political rally in Nadia district. (HT file image)

The West Bengal chief minister also said the BJP will not be able to return to power as the political equation in the country has changed since the last Lok Sabha polls held in 2019.

“The BJP spends thousands of crores of rupees in every election. Where do these come from? Election bonds have been relaunched ahead of the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections. Every party takes bonds because they are legal. But the BJP collects crores whenever an election comes,” Banerjee said while addressing a political rally in Nadia district.

The Centre on Monday had approved the issuance of the 23rd tranche of electoral bonds that will go on sale from November 9.

While Himachal Pradesh goes to poll on November 12, elections in Gujarat will be held in December.

“Electoral bonds are a transparent way of collecting funds. But it is shameful that a company had to ask its board to approve more contributions to political parties by subscribing to electoral bonds as they were facing problem in TMC-ruled West Bengal,” said Samik Bhattacharya, BJP spokesperson.

HT had earlier reported that electoral bonds worth ₹545.25 crore were sold between October 1 and 10, with the BJP getting the bulk of the contributions.

“We still believe that BJP won’t come to power in 2024. They can’t come. The last time they came to power (in 2019) they were in power in many states such as Bihar and Jharkhand. They are not in power in Bihar and Jharkhand, they would lose in Karnataka and Kerala and we have our friends in Tamil Nadu. They had won almost all the seats in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi the last time. Do they think they will win all seats again? No mathematics will tell you that,” Mamata added.

She alleged that the BJP was raking up the issues of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) with an eye on the upcoming Gujarat assembly elections.

“Gujarat elections have just been announced. Whenever a poll approaches, that they (BJP) bring up the issues of CAA and NRC,” she said.

The BJP spokesperson however hit out the chief minister’s claims.

“Mamata Banerjee is after the CAA and NRC because her government is in trouble in the state because of multiple scams, paucity of funds and no development. She wants to divert the attention to other issues,” said Bhattacharya.

Banerjee also stepped up her attack against the BJP-led central government alleging that with the panchayat polls approaching in West Bengal, central agencies such as the CBI and ED are being used to target her party leaders.

“I am ready to fight the battle with you politically. But why do you make personal attacks and are attacking my party leaders?” she said while claiming that one or two people in the party may have done something wrong.

It may be recalled that two TMC legislators Partha Chatterjee and Manik Bhattacharya and hevyweight TMC leader Anubrata Mondal have been arrested by the ED and CBI in connection with scams.

“We are a humane government and we have to fight with a monster government. If you (people) don’t understand this, who will?” she said while attacking the union government over price rise and demonetization.