JMM flags Gujarat ‘shell’ parties, questions huge donations and probe agencies
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK Ranchi, September 9: JMM central general secretary and spokesperson Vinod Kumar Pandey has alleged that several unrecognised political…
Vinod Pandey
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, September 9: JMM central general secretary and spokesperson Vinod Kumar Pandey has alleged that several unrecognised political parties in Gujarat are functioning like “shell parties” and receiving hundreds of crores of rupees in donations despite having little or no visible political activity.
Addressing a press conference at the JMM office in Harmu on Wednesday, Pandey claimed that some of these parties had not contested elections but had received massive amounts of money in their bank accounts. He questioned why the Election Commission and central agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), CBI and Income Tax Department, had not acted on such transactions.
JMM questions huge donations to political parties
Pandey said more than 2,800 political parties are registered in the country, including six national and 67 regional parties. He alleged that some non-recognised parties in Gujarat were operating along the lines of shell companies.
Citing media reports, he claimed that around 10 such parties were operating in Gujarat, with six having offices in Ahmedabad. According to Pandey, several of these parties had no active president or treasurer and showed little evidence of political activity.
He further claimed that some party offices were located in closed shops or locked rooms in residential flats, while several of the parties had allegedly never contested an election.
Claims of Rs 1,000 crore in one party account
Pandey alleged that huge amounts of money were deposited into the accounts of some of these parties during the 2023-24 financial year.
According to him, one party had around Rs 1,000 crore in its account, another had about Rs 620 crore and another nearly Rs 950 crore. He claimed that even the party with the lowest amount had around Rs 138 crore.
Citing the Lokshahi Satta Party, Pandey claimed that it received around Rs 1,045 crore in donations during 2023-24 and showed expenditure of nearly Rs 950 crore to the Election Commission and Income Tax Department.
He said such amounts raised questions about the source and purpose of the funds and demanded greater scrutiny of the financial transactions.
Questions role of EC, ED, CBI and Income Tax Department
Pandey questioned why the Election Commission and central investigating agencies had not taken action despite the alleged flow of such large sums of money.
He asked whether the funds could be linked to money laundering and whether they were being used for the alleged purchase of legislators and MPs.
He also demanded that the identities of those donating such large amounts to the parties be made public.
Pandey said that if the authorities failed to act, the JMM would consider approaching the court.
Refers to political parties shifting offices
Pandey also referred to a political party whose office, according to him, was earlier located in Bihar. He claimed that after the party’s then president joined the BJP and became its vice-president, the party office was shifted to Gujarat.
He also mentioned a Bengal-based party named NCPI and claimed that 20 TMC MPs had joined it and that the party now plays an important role in the NDA.
SIR issue also raised
The JMM leader also raised the issue of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
He said the matter had already been taken up with the Election Commission and appealed to DCs and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to simplify the process so that ordinary voters do not face difficulties.
Pandey said the names of eligible voters should not be removed on the basis of caste or religion, while the names of ineligible persons should not remain on the electoral rolls.
Pandey targets BJP over Bangladesh issue
On allegations regarding the inclusion of names of fake Muslim voters and Bangladeshi nationals in electoral rolls, Pandey targeted the BJP, saying that some political parties raise the Bangladesh and Pakistan issues mainly during elections.
He said similar issues were being raised during elections in Bengal and Bihar and alleged that such subjects were being used for political purposes.
