'World’s Biggest Extortion Racket': Rahul Gandhi Amidst Row Over Electoral Bonds Data

New Delhi: In a scathing attack on the BJP, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has labeled the electoral bonds scheme as the “world’s biggest extortion racket” and a "brainchild'' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During a press briefing amidst the final leg of his ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’, Gandhi charged that the scheme, initially touted by PM Modi as a means to purify political finance, has devolved into a mechanism for coercing India’s largest corporations into funding the BJP. He expressed hope for an impending investigation into these allegations.

"It was meant to intimidate corporates into giving money to the BJP....It is the largest extortion racket in the world....I hope investigation takes place," he added. Gandhi accused the scheme of being a tool for political manipulation, asserting that it facilitated the fragmentation of parties such as the Shiv Sena and NCP and contributed to the downfall of state governments.

 

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Addressing inquiries about the Congress receiving electoral bonds from companies that secured state contracts, Gandhi dismissed any correlation, emphasizing that opposition-run governments do not oversee national-level contracts or control central investigative agencies.

The Congress leader highlighted the anonymity provision of the scheme, suggesting it was designed to enable discreet corporate donations. He claimed that companies previously non-donors to the BJP began contributing following investigations by the CBI and ED.

Gandhi did not mince words, accusing the Prime Minister of orchestrating “a huge theft” through the electoral bonds scheme, which he described as Modi’s “brainchild.”

He further alleged that the BJP-led central government has commandeered national institutions to engage in corrupt practices, including using electoral bonds to engineer political upheaval. Gandhi assured punitive measures against such activities under a future non-BJP government.

In light of recent departures by prominent Maharashtra Congress figures Ashok Chavan and Milind Deora, Gandhi maintained that the party’s unity remains unshaken, projecting significant victories in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Concluding the conference, Gandhi left the decision of his potential candidacy from Amethi to the party’s central election committee and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, reflecting on his previous electoral experiences in Amethi and Wayanad.