Electoral Bonds donor details: SBI trying to cover up ‘misdeeds’ of BJP, alleges Congress

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday criticised the country’s largest and fully computerised State Bank of India (SBI) for seeking five months to provide information about electoral bonds.

In a post on X, party President Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the Modi government is using the largest bank of the country as a shield to hide its dubious dealings through electoral bonds.

Kharge noted that no less that the Supreme Court had struck down Modi government’s “Black Money Conversion’’ scheme of electoral bonds, holding it “Unconstitutional’’ and “Illegal’’ and asking SBI to furnish donor details by March 6.

He alleged that BJP wants it to be done after Lok Sabha elections. The tenure of this Lok Sabha will end on June 16 and SBI wants to share the date by June 30.

“The SBI has sought time before the Supreme Court not to give information but to hide the misdeeds of BJP. But people of the country understand fully well how the truth is being hidden by putting pressure on government agencies and institutions,’’ said Congress Social Media and Digital Platforms Chairperson Supriya Shrinate while addressing a press conference.

She wondered why SBI was asking for more time to provide information only a day before the last date for furnishing information. She alleged that SBI was trying to cover up misdeeds of BJP by dithering on disclosure of the names of electoral bond donors.

“The SBI, which operates 48 crore accounts, 66,000 ATMs and 23,000 branches, needs five months to provide information about only 22,217 electoral bonds. Complete information can be extracted in five minutes with on click,’’ she said.

She alleged that there was a clear attempt by the SBI, the government of India at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP to conceal the names of the donors through electoral bonds, but the people of this country can see through these sinister plots. By doing so, the SBI is playing into the hands of a political party, not just ruining its reputation but also is in contempt of what the Supreme Court order stands for — absolute transparency as far as electoral donations are concerned.