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KOHIMA — The Congress party on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is going the Putin way by suppressing the opposition for a one-sided election, by taking and freezing out all the resources of the oppositions.
This was said at a press conference by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) National Spokesperson and National Media Coordinator for NER, Mathew Antony, along with Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) President S Supongmeren Jamir, NPCC Working President Khriedi Theunuo and other congress leaders at the Congress Bhavan in Kohima.
Antony alleged that the BJP lied to 140 crore Indian people when it said that it would eradicate black money to win the elections but went on to betray the people with the largest engineered scam --- Electoral Bonds. He added that the people were made to believe that it was an anonymous way of collecting funds to get the black money but the government used it to blackmail, with ED, CBI and other agencies, to extort money or to give large contracts and take commissions.
The Congress Spokesperson also questioned the Income Tax, ED, SFIO and other agencies for not investigating the sources of donations.
He alleged that the BJP has done unforgivable things to the people by taking money from the pharmaceutical companies which produce adulterated cough syrups, adulterated blood pressure tablets and those of COVID vaccines through blackmailing.
The BJP got rich by playing with the health of the Indians, including children, he claimed.
The spokesperson also alleged that the BJP had taken money worth INR 4 lakh crore from companies as electoral bonds, while giving contract works to companies, pointing out that the BJP is the largest beneficiary of the electoral bonds, receiving INR 8,252 crore out of INR 16, 518 crore in electoral bond between 2018 and 2024, compared to the Congress INR 1, 950 crore.
Despite this, the Congress’ money is frozen, while the BJP is free to spend its ‘loot’, he alleged.
Antony stated that the Congress received money from genuine contributions while the BJP got either from extortion through blackmailing or by giving contracts, pointing out that an investigation by The News Minute and Newslaundry found 30 companies that donated via the previous electoral trust scheme after being raided by agencies.
Account frozen
Antony alleged that the BJP has looted the donations given to the Congress party by the common public by freezing out and forcibly withdrawing INR 115.32 crore from them.
He questioned as to why 11 bank account of the Congress party has to be frozen and INR 165 crore forcefully taken, when no political party, including the BJP, pays Income Tax.
He stated that notices were served last week from the IT Department for the FY 1993-94, when Sita Ram Kesari was the Treasurer and the party is being asked to calculate penal charges for the FY 1993-94 after 31 years of the assessment. Pointing out that INR 285 crore of fixed deposits has been stopped from utilization, he wondered how the Congress party would manage the upcoming elections.
Meanwhile, Supongmeren Jamir, who is also the INC candidate for the state’s lone parliamentary seat in ensuing Lok Sabha election, stated that the ruling government has not been delivering things to the people. He also claimed that the BJP government is acting against the minority, especially the Christian communities.
He exuded hope that voters would support the Congress even though it is going against the odds of the 60 legislators in the state government.
Jamir also said that the Congress would try to revert to the old pension scheme from the new pension scheme if the people give their mandate to the party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Antony also said the Congress is confident that the INDIA Bloc will form the government in 2024.
Claiming that the BJP is oppressing the oppositions one after another out of fear, he said such moves can be counterproductive in a democracy. He added that election is not about the Congress party but for the people of the state.