'Clear-cut case of extortion': Complainant attacks Sitharaman over electoral bonds
What's the story
Co-President of Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishath (JSP), Adarsh Iyer, who filed a complaint against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, claimed that they misused their power to shake down companies for money.
In his complaint, Iyer stated that the accused committed extortion under the guise and garb of electoral bonds and benefited to the tune of over ₹8,000 crore.
Legal action
Court orders FIR against Sitharaman, others
Iyer said, "Nirmala Sitharaman is accused number 1, Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials of Delhi are the second, office bearers of the BJP at national level are third, fourth one is state BJP ex-president and fifth one is current BJP state chief BY Vijayendra."
"The Supreme Court had given a fantastic order on electoral bond...After that, many media studied and made reports that there was a clear-cut case of extortion, we went ahead and found...it was a corruption case," he said.
Complaint
Bengaluru court sends complaint to police
On Saturday, a Bengaluru court asked the Tilak Nagar police station to file an FIR for the crime of extortion through electoral bonds.
According to Iyer's complaint, it is alleged that Sitharaman used the ED to conduct raids, seizures, and arrests of numerous corporations, including their CEOs and MDs.
The complaint details ED raids on firms including Vedanta, Sterlite, and Aurobindo Pharma to persuade their owners to donate money through the Electoral Bonds Scheme.
Political reactions
TMC leader, Karnataka CM react to court's order
Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh called the court's order a serious development, insisting that both the Union finance minister and the prime minister must be held accountable.
He said, "This is a very serious development because the Court has ordered an FIR against Nirmala Sitharaman over the poll bond extortion allegation... The responsibility must be taken by the union finance minister and also the PM."
Party's stance
BJP defends Sitharaman, calls allegations politically motivated
The BJP, meanwhile, has come to Sitharaman's defense, shrugging off the allegations.
The party claims that the charges are just a political ploy and that the whole electoral bonds controversy is more of a policy matter than a criminal issue.
The BJP also took a swing at Congress leader and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the ongoing MUDA case.
The Lokayukta police have registered an FIR against Siddaramaiah, his wife, and others over the alleged illegal allotment of MUDA sites.