Home Minister Amit Shah defended the use of electoral bonds by BJP and challenged the opposition to reveal the truth when all the details are out. He claimed that electoral bonds were crucial in curbing black money in politics and removing them would bring back the prevalence of illicit money. Shah further disputed allegations of BJP disproportionately benefiting from the scheme by highlighting the amounts received by other political parties. The Home Minister also expressed his respect for the recent Supreme Court verdict that declared electoral bonds unconstitutional. However, he expressed his desire to seek informal guidance from the justices on possible alternatives. Shah’s comments come in response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s accusations that BJP used bonds to extort money from businesses under investigation by central agencies. Shah referenced the distribution of the bonds’ funds and questioned the uproar surrounding the issue. He disclosed that BJP obtained Rs 6,000 crore out of the total Rs 20,000 crore collected through bonds. Shah highlighted that other parties, such as TMC, Congress, BRS, BJD, and DMK, received significant amounts as well. TMC obtained Rs 1,600 crore, Congress received Rs 1,400 crore, BRS obtained Rs 1,200 crore, BJD received Rs 750 crore, and DMK received Rs 639 crore. Shah reasoned that if BJP with 303 MPs received Rs 6,000 crore, then the parties with a combined strength of 242 MPs receiving Rs 14,000 crore leaves no room for complaints. When questioned about the effectiveness of bonds in addressing black money in politics, Shah acknowledged that they were a step toward a solution. However, he refrained from commenting on the possibility of implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) following the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and stated that he would address the issue after the elections. To read more, click on the link above.