[dropcap]A[/dropcap] day after reports of financial irregularities in their bank records emerged, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Mayawati attempted to vindicate her party by blaming the Centre for misusing its powers. She said, the deposits were made following all due procedures. The money belongs to the party and is entirely accounted for. This is just the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) misusing the state machinery to malign Mayawati and her party a day after ED detected cash deposits totalling over Rs. 104 crore in an account belonging to her party. Modiji’s had undertaken demonetization drive just to target BSP and SP in Uttar Pradesh before the forthcoming elections. However, this stunt of PM has gone flop as every party managed to deposit their funds, and those who were caught with the cash are BJP’s members. The issue was an effort to tarnish BSP’s image ahead of UP Assembly elections which is few months away from now. BJP has managed a section of the media. These media houses are doing anti-campaigning of other parties hailing BJP in election bound states. However, voters are much clever and they have already decided the fate of political parties in their state. This on-going tussle between BJP and BSP, may give a new lease of life to Congress or SP may retain the power in the largest state of India.
BSP supremo has made it clear that they have account of every rupee deposited in bank. This money has been collected through membership fee from various parts of the country and brought for deposit by converting it into big denomination notes as it is easy to carry from remote areas. Mayawati, however, said this action of BJP is a “good omen” for her party as in 2002 too when the then BJP government at the Centre had raked up Taj corridor issue, it had helped her get absolute majority in the UP Assembly. If Modi and central government take a few more decisions like note ban, it will make her return to power in UP easier. Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she demanded that he should make public the deposits made by BJP during the 10 months prior to November 8 demonetisation decision. There are many political parties and netizens on social networking sites demanded the same from ruling party to declare their fund collection and deposits in public domains. PM Modi’s selective exposure will cost him massively one day.
If wonder, if Jayalalitaa was alive would he have still have ordered IT raid on Tamil Nadu’s Chief Secretary? Never ever it would have happened. BJP have not disclosed its election funding sources but want to investigate other parties’ funding. Furthermore, I am not defending Mayawati either, a lady who wears two crores worth notes as garland. My only point is that BJP failed in its stunts as far as UP election is concerned.
BJP might misuse its power over Central agencies and unscrupulously release selective reports against opposition parties. Voters in that state are not fools to believe on the stories without any evidence. The voters of UP are going to dump BJP into electoral dustbin for all the suffering they have thrust on poor, middle-class, farmers, working employees, retirees, etc due to the ill planned and poorly executed demonetization exercise. Thousands of marriages in ordinary families had to be cancelled, thousands of farmers had to dump their produce for want of buyers, millions of ordinary Indians were forced to leave their work and spend several hours in Bank/ATM queues. Many sick were not get admission in hospitals due to cash crunch. These sufferers are patiently waiting for election days to oust BJP.
Mayawati has raised a valid demand, first PM’s party should prove their innocence and then point fingers on others. It is very unfortunate to use the government machineries on selective opponents to malign their political image. This shows the dark political agenda of demonetization. However, people are ‘smart enough’ to respond accordingly.
Political parties might give the SC/ST/OBC or minorities senior post in the organizations but they will work according to their bosses as bonded labourers. It’s the time, Dalit needs to stand united and fight for powers in their own hand. Minorities should also choose their leader wisely. BJP has always extended olive branch to these communities but its parent organization shown aggressiveness and atrocities towards these communities. BJP has crossed all levels of cheap politics. They are taking their own decisions without emphasizing the consequences and blaming and shaming others if they fail in it.
The Modi government quietly moved to let the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress off the legal hook for violating the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010 (FCRA), when they accepted donations from the London-based multinational, Vedanta. The Delhi High Court had ruled in 2014 that both parties were guilty of violating the FCRA and ordered the government and the Election Commission to act against them. Though the Centre went on an appeal to the Supreme Court, the FM Arun Jaitley slipped in a hitherto unnoticed clause in the Finance Bill as part of this year’s Union budget which retrospectively amends the FCRA to redefine Vedanta – and foreign companies like it – as “Indian” companies, thus nullifying the illegality that the BJP and Congress committed when they took money from it–all with a retrospective effect. Kapil Sibal was Congress’s attorney and Diwan was BJP’s–who joined forces together to fight the case in the SC. Since the amendment was passed successfully in the parliament while the appeal was pending, and the SC did not appear to object to the retrospective amendment, the two parties withdrew their appeal, since it was no longer needed. A party which made multiple land deals pre-demonetization and news also went public which said that a huge amount was deposited in party account few days before demonetization has no right to ask other party to come clean. Keeping cash with you has become crime in this nation. The new system suggests that depositing cash in account is also a crime.
To conclude here, I want to make it a point to people and the voters, that all these political parties are liars and cheaters–only some are more flagrant than others, but no one is clean. Choose the less evil in the upcoming elections and hope for some betterment in the country.
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