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Highlighting the financial difficulties the grand old party is facing, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed that all the bank accounts of the party have been frozen and the party was not being able to pay even ₹2 to do the campaign work.
In a rare joint press conference, attended by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and incumbent president Mallikarjun Khargein the national capital, the Wayanad MP said,”This is not freezing of Congress party’s bank accounts; this is the freezing of Indian democracy.”
Rahul Gandhi said the action against the account of the grand old party came two months before the Lok Sabha election campaign.
“One notice comes from the 90s, another from 6-7 years ago,” Gandhi said
Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the same, the former Congress president said, “This is a criminal action on the Congress party, a criminal action done by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. So, the idea that India is a democracy is a lie. There is no democracy in India today. The idea that India is the world’s largest democracy is a lie. A complete lie,” he said.
Attacking the government over the freezing of the Congress accounts, the Wayanad MP said
“20 per cent of India votes for us and we are not able to pay ₹2 for anything. It has been orchestrated to cripple us in the elections. Even if our bank accounts are unfrozen today, huge amount of debt damage has been done to Indian democracy.”
Questioning the silence of the Election Commission over its inaction, Gandhi said there is an election panel in the country but it has not even said anything.
“What’s interesting to me is that there are institutions in this country that are supposed to protect the democratic framework. There is an Election Commission in the country but it has not even said anything; that you have frozen the bank accounts of one of the biggest political parties and largest opposition in the country.”
“We are fighting against hatred-filled ‘Asura-shakti’,” ANI quoted Rahul Gandhi as saying after the press conference
While Sonia Gandhi said there was a “systematic effort” by PM Modi to “cripple” the Congress financially, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the BJP took money from some companies, in reference to the electoral bonds scheme.
Sonia Gandhi alleged that the money from the Congress’ accounts were being taken away forcefully.
“Even under these challenges we are doing our best to maintain the effectiveness of our campaign,” Sonia Gandhi added
Demanding to defrizz the bank accounts of the party, Congress president Kharge asked for “a level playing field in polls.”
“Defreeze our accounts to ensure a level playing field in polls,” Congress president Kharge
“I appeal to constitutional bodies that they should allow our party to access bank accounts if they want free and fair polls,” Kharge said.
“Those in power should not have direct or indirect control over constitutional bodies,” he said, adding that those in power should not have a monopoly over resources.
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Published: 21 Mar 2024, 04:28 PM IST
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