Electoral bonds order: BJP says its only aim was ‘transparency’, believes won’t influence polls

Reacting to the Supreme Court order striking down the electoral bonds scheme, the BJP said the Centre was only attempting to move towards greater transparency in political funding.

“This decision was undertaken with the laudable objective of transparency in electoral funding and reducing cash influence… Those who give donations say it is good if some secrecy is maintained. This isn’t unnatural. If another government comes, it could go after them. So, if someone is honestly doing business, we thought let them do so,” BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, addressing a press conference at the party headquarters.

Off the record, party leaders said that while the Supreme Court order scrapping the electoral bonds scheme was a setback, particularly “a moral one”, the BJP did not expect it to have much of an impact on the ground.

The Opposition may use the revelations of donors and recipients which will come out now as ammunition to attack the government, BJP leaders said, particularly if some of the donors were found to be corporates seen as having gained unduly under the Modi government or to be involved in irregularities.

However, the BJP believes that in public perception, it might not skew the scales too much as the world of political funding has always been opaque, and ruling parties have always benefited more. “The verdict will not have any major impact on the electorate nor will it hit our resources badly. But certainly, the Opposition would use it to attack the government,” a senior BJP leader and MP said.

At the press conference, Prasad stressed that the electoral bonds scheme was part of attempts “to make the electoral process transparent”. Listing the introduction of voter ID cards with photos and EVMs, he said: “The state