In recent years, India is increasingly turning towards dictatorship with absolute domination of one party. Ever since winning the 2014 general election, the BJP has consolidated power in the country. It has won elections, and if it loses elections, it uses money to bring down the opposition-ruled states and install its own government. The saffron party has shown utter disregard for the constitution and democratic values that India cherishes so much. The BJP has consistently used power and money to push its agenda in the country.
Now, as per the latest data gathered by leading news channel NDTV, the BJP has gathered a whopping 76 percent of the electoral bonds sold in the 2019-20 financial year. This is a 75 percent jump on the Rs 1,450 crores it had received through electoral bonds the previous year.
In the same period, the collections of the Congress – the BJP’s biggest political rival – dropped by 17 percent. In 2019-20, it received Rs 318 crores, ie, 9 percent of the total electoral bonds. Electoral bonds, which were introduced by the government in 2017-2018 in the face of major political opposition, allows individuals as well as corporations – including those partly owned by foreign entities – to fund political parties anonymously. Since the electoral bond system was introduced in India, the BJP consistently had the highest income among all political parties.
This is giving undue advantage to the ruling BJP. Also, it is a blatant misuse of resources to consistently try to bring down the opposition-ruled states. The BJP also has a complete hold over the national media due to its financial power. Something must be done by the Supreme Court to stop this uneven system of funding political parties. If the trend continues, it will become very difficult for the opposition parties to compete with the BJP.