New Delhi: The BJP’s financial institution stability took a quantum leap from Rs 88 crore in 2004 to Rs 10,107 crore in 2024, whereas the Congress’s registered a modest improve to Rs 133 crore from Rs 38 crore in the identical interval, Congress treasurer Ajay Maken informed the Rajya Sabha Thursday, underscoring in his phrases the rising absence of a “stage enjoying discipline” in Indian democracy.

Maken mentioned the figures he cited have been based mostly on knowledge within the public area launched by the Election Fee of India (ECI) after each Lok Sabha ballot, reflecting the marketing campaign bills declared by each political celebration and their declared financial institution balances.

He alleged that many businessmen and industrialists had informed him in non-public that they have been threatened with motion by the Enforcement Directorate and the Earnings Tax Division to stop them from donating funds to the Congress. He made the remarks whereas collaborating within the dialogue on election reforms within the Rajya Sabha.

“I’m treasurer of the Congress. After each election, we announce our ballot bills and our financial institution stability. After 2004, the BJP had Rs 88 crore as its financial institution stability and the Congress had Rs 38 crore, round two instances extra. In 2009, our authorities got here to energy and we raised extra money based mostly on our elevated energy. The BJP’s financial institution stability after 2009 was Rs 150 crore and the Congress’s was Rs 221 crore, 1.47 instances extra at a ratio of 60:40,” Maken mentioned.

In 2014, the 12 months the BJP returned to energy, the celebration had a financial institution stability of Rs 295 crore, which rose to Rs 3,562 crore in 2019, in line with figures supplied by the Congress chief.

“It was 11 instances greater than the Congress, which had Rs 315 crore in its account in 2019. The ratio that was 60:40 until 2014, grew to become 92:8. By 2024, the figures have been extra stunning. From Rs 3,562 crore, the BJP’s financial institution stability rose to Rs 10,107 crore, 75 instances greater than the Congress, which had Rs 133 crore. The place is the extent enjoying discipline? How will the Opposition tackle the ruling celebration when the ratio stands at 99:1?” Maken requested.

The disparity in political donations going to the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress has been a matter of intense scrutiny in recent times. Earlier this month, a assessment of contributions by numerous electoral trusts on the ECI’s web site confirmed that just about 83 per cent of the Rs 915 crore of donations made by the Progressive Electoral Belief—one of many many electoral trusts by which funds are routed to events—in 2024-25 went to the BJP, whereas the Congress’s share stood at 8.4 per cent.

In February 2024, the Electoral Bond Scheme, launched in 2018 by the Modi authorities and broadly criticised for permitting opaque donations to events, was scrapped by the Supreme Courtroom.

In his speech, Maken additionally raised the difficulty of the freezing of Congress financial institution accounts simply earlier than the 2024 common elections.

“We wrote to the ECI and bought no response. Then the I-T division despatched the Congress a discover of Rs 210 crore. Subsequently, the I-T took Rs 135 crore from our account and we got entry to our accounts on 23 March, whereas the elections have been introduced on 16 March 2024,” Maken claimed.

The Congress had mentioned that the I-T division sought the freezing of its financial institution accounts on two grounds—that the celebration delayed the submitting of its earnings tax return for 2018-19 and that it accepted donations amounting to Rs 14.40 lakh in money, given by MLAs and MPs.

(Edited by Gitanjali Das)