PRIME Minister Narendra Modi’s famous anticorruption promise—na khuanga, na khane dunga (neither would he indulge in corruption nor would he allow anyone)—is set to face an acid test just at the time when the country’s eighteenth parliamentary election preparations are reaching the final stage.
The election dates have been announced, parties have started naming candidates and seat-sharing adjustments between allies are being finalised. The rules of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) have been notified, rekindling memories of the 2019 protests due to the sharp polarising ability of the legislation. Former President Ramnath Kovind-led committee has submitted its report recommending “one nation, one election” in the country— another highly controversial and polarising subject.
But it is the developments at the Supreme Court and the resultant release of hitherto secret information on anonymous political funding through electoral bonds that continue to grab public attention. Such an amount of corporate donations has never entered India’s political party system, at least not through formal channels.
The most crucial part of the data—the secret serial numbers of electoral bonds visible only under ultraviolet rays that can connect donors with the recipients of funds—is yet to be published. Even without them, it has become evident that PM Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made massive fortunes since the introduction of the electoral bond scheme in 2018. The top court scrapped it in February, calling it unconstitutional and violative of the electors’ right to know the funders of political parties.
Denne historien er fra April 01, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
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Denne historien er fra April 01, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Caste Census: To Conquer Or Conserve?
The caste census is generating heated debate, but even its most ardent proponents are not able to articulate a plan about how to use the resulting data
THE FATEFUL COMEDY
Actor-director Rajat Kapoor talks about adapting Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov into a Hindi play
Mad Hatter
When a leader takes off his topi and holds it in his hands while appealing for votes, it signals something extraordinary
Circle Within Circles
The caste question in Muslims.
Backward March
The Maratha reservation question may continue to mire the next government in the state
The 69% Exception
Quota within quota: lessons to be learned from Tamil Nadu
United Indifference
The perils of tweaking tribal identities
Two Nations, Two Destinies
The widely differing balance of power between the military and civilian leadership in India and Pakistan has significantly impacted democracy in the two countries
Crème de la Crème
The mainstream society thinks reservations are against right to equality. It’s high time they are seen in the context of right to justice.
Fading Folks
The recent SC ruling on sub-classification within the SC and ST categories temporarily lifted the hopes of tribal communities in Jharkhand