Amit Shah says decision on electoral bond may bring black money in election funding. Here’s the Q&A

Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the Rising Bharat Summit on March 20.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking at CNN-News18's 'Rising Bharat' 2024 leadership conclave on March 20, emphasized the transformative impact of the 10-year rule of the Modi government, asserting that it will be remembered in golden letters. He highlighted achievements such as India's ascent to become the fifth-largest economy under Modi's leadership. Shah touched upon various subjects including electoral bonds, the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the issue of corruption, enforcement directorate raids on corrupt political leaders, and the politics of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, among others.

Here's an edited excerpt of the translated interview:

How is the state of affairs before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections different from 2014 and 2019?

Within 10 years, India has become a more secure nation. It has responded against terrorism with surgical strikes. It should be noted that Leftist violence has reduced under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. India has become a hub for manufacturing, and has seen a revolution in the digital.

These 10 years will be written in India's history in golden words. Every citizen is proud of being "Bharatiya". India has become the fifth largest economy under the leadership of Modi. In the next term under Modi, India will become the third largest economy in the world.

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In response to the recent rulings by the Supreme Court on electoral bonds, how you view the potential resurgence of black money in election funding?

I welcome the decisions of the Supreme Court about the electoral bonds. However, the court's decision might bring back black money into election funding. The use of electoral bonds has helped reduce the amount of black money involved in election funding. Around 21 percent of funding to BJP was through cash from anonymous sources, in 2018 it reduced to 18 percent and then reduced to 3 percent in 2023.

In my personal opinion, black money will return after the abolition of electoral bonds. Congress was against electoral bonds as they want to cut money back through cash donations.  They (Congress) used to part take donations and deposit it in Swiss Bank. Rahul ji (Gandhi) believes in building personal wealth.

Earlier, donations would come in cash. So suppose a person gave Rs 1,500, then Rs 100 would go to the party fund and the rest would go in the party leader’s pocket. Once bonds came, this entire amount would be transferred to the party fund via cheque. This is not what the INDIA bloc was used to.

Rahul should answer why he took Rs 1,600 crore through electoral bonds? When full data is out, INDI alliance will not be able to show their face.

We have been accused that we got a lot of money via bonds but so did the INDIA bloc. We have 303 seats, 17 governments, party units in every state. In 2019, we got a sizeable proportion of funds in bonds when the Model Code of Conduct was in place and no new schemes or policies could be announced. We got more than ninety per cent of funds in bonds after the MCC was imposed. So the argument that it was affecting government’s policies is false.

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Is the ED probing only Opposition parties and not BJP leaders for corruption?

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is taking actions against corruption and against black money, after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister. The INDIA alliance is involved in corruption worth Rs 12 lakh crore. The INDIA bloc won’t be able to show its face when their list of donors are revealed.

They (INDIA alliance) want a system that there should be no action on politicians. Rs 51 crore seized from Mamata ji’s minister. Rs 350 crore from Congress MP house. What do they think, people are not watching?. Jo Corruption Karega, Uspar Kathor Karwai Hogi, he added.

In the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, what is the BJP's anticipated count of seats, and could you elaborate on the ongoing discussions regarding seat-sharing between the BJP and the BJD in Odisha?

We will win more than 400 seats this time. We do what we say. There is a lot of scope this time. We can increase our seats in West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Punjab in the upcoming polls.

Speaking on if BJP and BJD will come together this poll season, he said, "Let us first decide if we are in alliance. If we fight alone we will fight to form government in the state.”

I boldly assert that the BJP is poised to secure more than 25 seats in the upcoming elections in West Bengal. Reflecting on our past achievements, I highlighted that in the previous Lok Sabha elections, the BJP surpassed expectations by securing a double-digit count of seats for the first time.

The people of Bengal do not question the ED on corruption, instead, they question Mamata Banerjee. She has been exposed in front of the people of the state with the Sandeshkhali incident.

As of now, no decision has been reached regarding an alliance with BJD in Odisha. Despite this, I remain optimistic about the BJP's prospects in the state.

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What are your thoughts on Nitish Kumar's decision to rejoin the NDA in Bihar, and how do you interpret the changing dynamics of his party's influence within the state's political terrain?

We did not turn back, we are where we were. For the first time in Bihar, we have come in the role of elder brother.

The possibility of reaching an agreement with Pashupati Paras is quite limited at this point. The seat-sharing arrangement for the state has already been finalised, and there is no room for further negotiations or adjustments.

(This is a translation of the interaction, edited for clarity. Please come back for more.)