The Fate of Opposition, Scam of Electoral Bonds And Much More…
Edits | April, 2024
The Fate of Opposition
As the bugle sounds for India’s general elections, a curious prelude unfolds: a procession of opposition leaders finds themselves either behind bars or under the radar of government agencies rather than on the campaign trail. The spotlight turns to Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi’s Chief Minister, arrested over allegations of graft in a liquor policy drama. His party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), cries foul, claiming a politically motivated smear campaign, while the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) washes its hands of any interference.
The Gandhis of Congress are already facing scrutiny in a money laundering probe, while Manish Sisodia, AAP’s second-in-command, shares Kejriwal’s fate in the same case. Hemant Soren, former Jharkhand Chief Minister, and K. Kavitha, a Telangana legislator, finds themselves ensnared in financial crime investigations. Bhupesh Baghel, Chhattisgarh’s former Chief Minister, faces graft charges, and Abhishek Banerjee and Lalu Prasad Yadav are also named in separate cases. As these leaders trade the campaign stage for a courtroom, the timing raises eyebrows. Is this a genuine crackdown on corruption, or a strategic move to sideline opposition voices?
The Grand Masquerade
In the political theatre of India, the Electoral Bond scheme emerged as a glittering act of transparency and reform. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the ringmaster, bagging a lion’s share of Rs 6,986.5 crore in donations. The scheme’s anonymity clause turned political donations into a masquerade ball, with donors hidden behind invisible cloaks.
The renowned economist Parakala Prabhakar, in a surprising plot twist, declared this spectacle not just the biggest scam in India, but a global blockbuster of financial skulduggery.
The Supreme Court, acting as the ultimate showstopper, pulled the rug from under the scheme’s feet, striking it down and unmasking the anonymous benefactors. The revelation that 41 companies under investigation had poured Rs 2,471 crore into the BJP’s treasure chest through electoral bonds added a spicy twist to the plot. The timing of these donations, closely following raids by investigative agencies, turned the scheme into a political thriller, with accusations of “legalised corruption” flying like popcorn in a movie theatre.
The opposition parties, playing the role of the critics, lambasted the electoral bonds as a tool for whitewashing black money, while the BJP defended it as a bulwark against the return of unaccounted wealth in politics. The Electoral Bond scheme still remains a contentious character, a symbol of the complexities and contradictions that dance through the corridors of power in the world’s largest democracy.
Is the split imminent..?
Any organisation which grows bigger than what it is supposed to be, has to split. Be it family, companies, countries or political parties. In the old days of the Congress as it became more powerful and laden with money along with stalwart netas, it had split. There was a larger fraction and some smaller ones. Without getting into details, BJP stands at a similar position as of now. The revelation of Rs 7000 odd crores of electoral bonds reveal that the grassroot worker or smaller neta within the organisation does not know where all the money is being deployed by the party. And all the publicity for only a few people does not cost that much money. Hence there ought to be some resentment within cadre for accountability and for control. After the general elections 2024, where it is imminent that BJP will win, a split may happen within fractions led by the RSS and the other(s). The huge political pre-poll drama that is unfolding at the moment of taking political prisoners by the state investigation agencies could also be a threatening point being made by the top bosses in the BJP to their peers, to stay at bay. People and leaders following the media closely may have noticed that all of a sudden publicity of PM Modi has taken a pause after a series of chief ministers’ arrests and that of some politically challenging opposition leaders. As nothing remains the same, and on top of the world all the time, and with the opposition literally behind the bars, an enemy within cultivated by the situation may erupt.
CA Divesh Nath
Editor
Woman’s Era
LinkedIn: Divesh Nath
