Sibal slams Finance Minister Sitharaman’s remarks on electoral bonds

PTI, Apr 20, 2024, 4:56 PM IST

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal (Source: PTI / File)

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday said the BJP is claiming that the electoral bonds scheme was brought for transparency but the Supreme Court had stated the opposite while declaring it “unconstitutional”.

Sibal’s remarks came after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told a newspaper that the BJP intended to bring back electoral bonds in some form after consultations with all stakeholders if it is elected back to power after the 2024 general elections.

“Nirmala Sitharaman has said in an interview that we will bring back electoral bonds and it was also said in the interview that when electoral bonds were introduced, they were introduced for the sake of transparency. This is exactly the opposite of what the Supreme Court stated,” Sibal said in a press conference here.

The Supreme Court has said that these are not “transparent” and were brought in a “non-transparent manner”, he said.

“Now the problem they (BJP) are facing is that they have money for this election but they know that they will need the money when they lose. However, Nirmala ji is saying (they) will win and bring it (electoral bonds scheme) back,” Sibal said.

He also attacked RSS chief Mohan Bhagat over the electoral bonds issue and asked why he is “silent” on the matter.

Sibal also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for defending the electoral bonds, saying it was “wrong” to talk in this manner during polls when the Supreme Court had given its decision.

He also attacked the government for its handling of the economy and alleged that it was importing pulses so that prices do not go up and hamper its poll prospects.

“We are importing so that the prices fall. They are importing pulses so that they do not face loss in the elections,” Sibal said.

Sibal had led the argument for petitioners in the case against the scheme in the Supreme Court.

On February 15, a five-judge Constitution bench scrapped the Centre’s electoral bonds scheme of anonymous political funding, calling it “unconstitutional” and ordered disclosure by the Election Commission of the donors, the amount donated by them and the recipients.