Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 18: Former Minister and senior National Panthers Party leader Harsh Dev Singh today said that political parties must disclose their sources of funding.
In a press statement, issued here today NPP leader said that while fight against black money has to be a national endeavour, the beginning needs to be made by bringing a change in political culture with various political parties disclosing their assets and finances and revealing their sources of funding. He said that it was a universally known fact that political parties raise funds from various sources for funding their political activities and other campaigns. He said that it was also a fact that big political parties especially BJP and Congress spent thousands of crores during elections which was predominantly black money raised from Corporate houses.
NPP leader said that the huge election funds raised through un-accounted contributions made the businessmen to generate black money and the political parties could not be absolved of their egregious connivance in the process. He said that it was peculiar case of quid pro quo in which the business houses funded the political parties and latter helped the former to promote their business interests. Mr Singh said that though the political leaders talk of ideals and refer to our great heritage but accept huge donations from vested interests which in certain cases run into several crores. Unless basic honesty is inculcated among the political class, unearthing black money and rooting out corruption will not become a reality, cautioned Mr Singh.
Urging upon the Prime Minister to make a beginning from his own party, Mr Singh said that BJP must disclose the party assets in India and abroad including lands, buildings alongwith official, residential and commercial complexes and premises owned by the party and its bank accounts with funds held, the dates of deposits made in the recent past and the sources of funding.
During last year, there was a huge fund increase in the party accounts of BJP within one year of its coming to power which needed investigation. He sought a probe into the sudden spike in deposits in September prior to demonetization as revealed by the Reserve Bank of India. Quoting the figures provided by RBI, Mr Singh pointed out that “Sept 2016 saw an aggregate addition of Rs 5.98 lakh crore over that in August 2016 to hit an all time high of Rs 1,02,08,290 crore”, which had created genuine apprehensions and doubts in the minds of the public. He said that such a sensational disclosure made by RBI had put the BJP in the dock and necessitated a probe into the huge unprecedented deposits.
Mr. Harsh Dev Singh further called for disclosure of all assets by politicians particularly the heads of political parties, Ministers, MPs, MLAs, Ex-Ministers, Ex-MLAs, their display on official websites alongwith sources of income.
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