Urban Mirror Correspondent
New Delhi, November 07: The Lok Gathbandhan Party (LGP) today reiterated its demand demanded for total ban on corporate funding from within and outside India to political parties in the country. The LGP said that funding to various political parties through various electoral trusts is opaque and injurious to free and fair electoral process in the country.
The spokesman of the party said here on Wednesday that recent media report indicated that through several trust like Prudent Electoral Trust, Jankalyan Electoral Trust, Janshakti Electoral Trust, AB General Electoral Trust and others the BJP, Congress and some other regional parties have been beneficiaries of huge funding. The spokesman said the BJP succeeded in cornering 86% of total funding during 2017-18. The spokesman said Prudent Electoral Trust was the biggest contributor having disbursed a total amount of Rs 169.3 crore among BJP, Congress and Biju Janata Dal last year. The spokesman said under such a prevailing situation corruption-free electoral reform is unlikely. Thus there is need of ban on all types of corporate funding, the spokesman said.
The spokesman recalled that earlier in July last the Supreme Court had issued notice to central government on a PIL challenging permission to political parties to receive donation from the foreign companies. The spokesman that elimination of corruption and restoration of transparency in country’s political system is unlikely to be achieved without complete ban on political funding by the corporate houses. The spokesman said large number of corporate houses, both inside and outside the country, have been donating huge funds to parties, especially ruling party to serve their vested interest. The spokesman said this state of affair is not good for honest, transparent and vibrant democracy. Expressing concern over circulation of huge black money in politics, the spokesperson said the system introduced through electoral bonds will also not serve the purpose of transparency and stop inflow of black money in politics. The spokesman said political parties have unfortunately become one of the major conduits of money laundering for which strict legal action is urgently required to clean the system. The spokesman said corporate houses have evolved dubious means for money laundering and tax evasion in which large number of political parties are also playing major role. The spokesman said the LGP, dedicated to honesty and transparency in public life, has been fighting for the eradication of the use of huge money in politics without which the concept of good governance is impossible.
