Attorney General (AG) R Venkataramani on Monday told the Supreme Court that citizens do not have the right to information under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution regarding the source of funds of electoral bond schemes for political parties. The statement is outrageous and shocking to a certain level. In a democratic country like ours, citizens have every right to know all the relevant information. By denying information about the source of funding under the electoral bond scheme, the government of India has seeded doubts in the minds of the citizens.
The ruling BJP has been the highest beneficiary of the electoral bond scheme. The party has witnessed a massive jump in its income in recent years. Its earnings dwarfed those of other parties, including its nearest rivals. Due to the massive fund it receives, the BJP has this undue advantage over other political parties. The opposition parties often keep complaining about this. It is happening due to the electoral bond schemes. The people of India have the right to know who is funding the political parties that they are going to vote for. If the BJP government is serious about eradicating corruption it should start with the clean election movement. For this, first it should create transparency in the electoral bond scheme.