“Na khaunga, na khane dunga'”: Kipal Sibal takes dig at PM over electoral bonds data

New Delhi [India], March 15 (ANI): Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal Friday launched a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day after the Election Commission published the electoral bonds data shared by the State Bank of India on the orders of the Supreme Court.

Reacting to the electoral data bond, Sibal said while speaking to ANI, “Someone said ”Na khaunga, na khane dunga’. Someone also said that he would bring back all the illegal money in Swiss bank accounts and put Rs 15 lakh in each Indian bank account,” he said, taking a dig at PM Modi.

“But they took it from here. What is the need for the Swiss bank? They deposited into their bank accounts,” the former Congress leader alleged, without taking any specific names.

Earlier on Thursday, the Election Commission uploaded the data on electoral bonds on its website as received from SBI with Future Gaming and Hotel Services and Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd among the top donors to political parties.

A total of 22,217 bonds were purchased during the period April 1, 2019, till February 15, 2024, SBI told the Supreme Court.

Sibal said the responsibility lies with the court.

“Neither there should be a CBI or ED investigation. Now the responsibility lies with the court. What will the court do?”, he said.

“Like it was done in the 2G case, where an SIT was made, in this case also an SIT should be constituted to probe the matter. We have to see how the law will see it now…It should also be found out who donated to the PM-CARES. It’s a matter of investigation which party got how many funds,” he said.

An electoral bond was an instrument in the nature of a promissory note or bearer bond which can be purchased by any individual, company, firm or association of persons provided the person or body is a citizen of India or incorporated or established in India. The bonds were issued specifically for the purpose of contribution of funds to political parties.

These bonds were issued/purchased for any value, in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1,00,000, Rs 10,00,000 and Rs 1,00,00,000 from the specified branches of the State Bank of India (SBI).

Various petitions were filed before the top court challenging amendments made to different statutes through Finance Act 2017 and Finance Act 2016 on the ground that they have opened doors to unlimited, unchecked funding of political parties.