The Crossbill News Desk
A civil society group in Bengaluru has filed an FIR against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, accusing them of orchestrating a scheme that coerced companies into donating to the party through electoral bonds. A special court in Bengaluru has ordered the registration of the FIR.
Adarsh Iyer, from the Janaadhikara Sangharsha Sanghatane, lodged the complaint against Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra, party leader Naleen Kumar Kateel, unnamed officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the finance minister. According to a report by The News Minute, the FIR has been filed under sections 384 (extortion), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 34 (acts done by several people with common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
The complaint alleges that the finance minister, in coordination with ED officials, pressured companies such as Vedanta, Sterlite, and Aurobindo Pharma to purchase electoral bonds totalling over Rs 8,000 crore. The opposition has frequently accused the BJP of using ED raids as a tool to exert pressure on political adversaries.
Aurobindo Pharma's director, P. Sarath Chandra Reddy, was arrested by the ED in Delhi in connection with the liquor scam case in November 2022. Following his arrest, the pharma company reportedly purchased electoral bonds worth Rs 25 crore on multiple occasions, donating them to the BJP. In 2023, the company became an approver in the case, and Reddy was later granted bail on medical grounds.
The complaint further claims that the extortion scheme, disguised as an electoral bond system, was executed with the collusion of BJP leaders at various levels, enabling them to accumulate illicit funds. It is noted that the electoral bonds scheme was struck down by the Supreme Court ahead of this year's general elections.
In response, the BJP has defended its leaders, dismissing the allegations as politically motivated. Party representatives stated that the electoral bonds scheme was a policy decision rather than a political maneuver.
In a counterattack, the BJP called for the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, citing an ongoing corruption case against him related to the Mysore Urban Development Authority land allotment. In return, Siddaramaiah demanded that Nirmala Sitharaman also step down, suggesting the same standards be applied to her.
Adarsh Iyer, from the Janaadhikara Sangharsha Sanghatane, lodged the complaint against Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra, party leader Naleen Kumar Kateel, unnamed officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the finance minister. According to a report by The News Minute, the FIR has been filed under sections 384 (extortion), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 34 (acts done by several people with common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
The complaint alleges that the finance minister, in coordination with ED officials, pressured companies such as Vedanta, Sterlite, and Aurobindo Pharma to purchase electoral bonds totalling over Rs 8,000 crore. The opposition has frequently accused the BJP of using ED raids as a tool to exert pressure on political adversaries.
Aurobindo Pharma's director, P. Sarath Chandra Reddy, was arrested by the ED in Delhi in connection with the liquor scam case in November 2022. Following his arrest, the pharma company reportedly purchased electoral bonds worth Rs 25 crore on multiple occasions, donating them to the BJP. In 2023, the company became an approver in the case, and Reddy was later granted bail on medical grounds.
The complaint further claims that the extortion scheme, disguised as an electoral bond system, was executed with the collusion of BJP leaders at various levels, enabling them to accumulate illicit funds. It is noted that the electoral bonds scheme was struck down by the Supreme Court ahead of this year's general elections.
In response, the BJP has defended its leaders, dismissing the allegations as politically motivated. Party representatives stated that the electoral bonds scheme was a policy decision rather than a political maneuver.
In a counterattack, the BJP called for the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, citing an ongoing corruption case against him related to the Mysore Urban Development Authority land allotment. In return, Siddaramaiah demanded that Nirmala Sitharaman also step down, suggesting the same standards be applied to her.
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