By Pervez Bari
New Delhi: The Social Democratic Party of India, (SDPI), has alleged that corruption has been let loose in the name of PM-CARES fund. It has sought to know from the BJP-led Union Government whether the PM-CARES fund set up for Covid-19 is a private or a government trust. The party has posed this question after an activist through an RTI query revealed that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, while issuing the March 28 Office Memorandum, defined PM-CARES as a “fund set up by the Central government”. However, the trust deed from a day before said it was not government-run, so PM-CARES could not have been eligible for corporate donations.
The contradiction continued until almost two months later, on May 26, the Corporate Affairs Ministry added PM-CARES Fund to the Companies Act retrospectively from March 28. For two months, PM-CARES or the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund were a private entity receiving corporate donations.
SDPI National General
SDPI National General Secretary Elyas Mohammad Thumbe in a statement said that to avoid RTI queries it is a Private Trust. To receive corporate contributions it is a Government Trust. It is utter misuse of power. If BJP Govt does it doesn’t comes under corruption, but if any others do then all hue and cry. It is sheer hypocrisy. When will the people of India understand this type of day light robbery? Why such a huge fund don’t have any accountability. If it’s a public fund and whoever is contributing to it then the expenses need to be on public domain or accessible to public. When you receive huge sums of money, don’t know legally or illegally, and there’s no accountability, then it’s called corruption. Perhaps, it is a perfect case for the ED and CBI to investigate, he added.
Thumbe has asked unaudited PM Cares fund has been spent on what projects? No one can audit or check or verify. Does this not susceptible to corruption? If this is unaudited then it is as equal as black money spent on horse trading and political campaign. Using this money power BJP will buy all power/money hungry politicians who have no moral values. The hallmark of our PM is contradiction. His words contradict with action. His lips preach for welfare of the nation while his hands work for private Gujarati business people, he remarked.
Allegations
He questioned how come PM of India in office can open a private company? Our judiciary is not independent its why such corruption of BJP gets scot free. If at least these 4 issues such as Demonetization, Rafael, Electoral bonds and PM-CARES fund are investigated unabashedly then India will witness huge corruption of BJP where Congress will even not stand nearby to BJP. How can BJP construct their offices all over the country in each district? BJP`s assets could be more than UP or Delhi budget. Therefore, India is hijacked by BJP and they will loot India and ruin India more than the Congress did in 60 years of its rulings. What were civil servants doing? Ignoring legal violations?
Thumbe said that like this each CM of a state could set-up a private fund and seek inclusion for corporate donation under CSR corporate donations. It doesn’t matter, people are blind. They will keep supporting Modi Govt. due to Hindutva. That is the reality right now. He nicknamed PM Cares funds as PM Don’t Care Fund Scam.