Months in advance of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge initiated the 'Donate for Desh' crowdsourcing initiative. The campaign seeks to strengthen the party in order to create an equitable and fairer India. Kharge emphasised the distinctiveness of this fundraising campaign by referencing Mahatma Gandhi's earlier actions during the independence movement. Offering donation options of Rs 138, Rs 1,380, or Rs 13,800, the effort marks the conclusion of the Congress party's 138-year history. Kharge made a contribution of Rs. 1 lakh 38 thousand to launch the campaign, which he mocked himself saying “ Ek Mahine ki Salary gayi” in a now viral video. According to sources close to the Congress, the party is struggling financially and finds it difficult to compete with the BJP's well-oiled electoral apparatus.
According to Congress, the crowdsourcing project is modelled after the famous 'Tilak Swaraj Fund,' established by Mahatma Gandhi between 1920 and 1921. It is important to remember that the Congress attempted an outreach and crowdfunding effort in 2018 before the most recent Lok Sabha election, but it was not successful.
Now, what Congress does for funding its party coffers is its own matter, one cannot raise a question on that, but there are few questions which should be asked and needs answers from the party. Let me point out these questions:-
1. With the slogan "Donate for Desh," this online crowdsourcing initiative hopes to "empower the party to create an India rich in equal resource distribution and opportunities." The question arises here if the funding is for party, how it can be called for Desh or country? Why would anyone donate to a party for country, for that we have PM Relief Fund, or PM Cares Fund. Will Congress party use this money to fund the welfare of the poor people, or give the money to Army welfare schemes or the wives of the martyrs of the army? The slogan says equal resource distribution and opportunities for people, which essentially means the funding will be used to create an India where this funding will be used for resource distribution, which eventually means that Congress aims to create a parallel government system where it will use this fund for welfare schemes. Is that possible in this country or Congress wants to change the system of this country? We have a government, electorally elected government with the power of votes of people, which is authorised to do such work, then why Congress is demanding this fund in the name of Desh/country? They want to oil their party machinery with this funding, that is all right, but don’t demand the money in the name of the country.
2. Congress says that this cowdfunding initiative is modelled on Mahatma Gandhi’s Tilak Swaraj Fund, established between 1920 and 1921. To honour Bal Gangadhar Tilak on the first anniversary of his death, the Tilak Swaraj Fund was established. Its goal was to raise Rs 1 crore to support India's fight for independence and opposition to British rule. Does Congress want to say that India is still under British rule and India needs freedom? Now, this question is on the collective conscience of the voters of this country. Congress wants to say that despite people electing a government with their votes, and that too of their freewill, this country is under foreign rule and it is only they (Congressis) who can free this country. So,my question is do you think that they are right? Are you not free? I don’t think that this country was freer than in the last 60years of Congress rule. People abuse the PM of this country like anything and remain scot-free. People can announce prize for people for beheading the PM, and don’t even bother about the repercussions.
3. We have seen recently how much cash was retrieved from Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu. And other ED seizures from various Congress leaders in the last few years have shown the corrupt nature of the party. The Gandhi family itself is on bail for corruption in National Herald case. Don’t you think this campaign is aimed at recovering this loss of corrupt money and fuelling the dynastic rule in Congress? Don’t you think this crowdfunding initiative is a campaign to bring the black money of the COngressi leaders and converting into white money? This is a simple technique from the book of Congress corruption saga.
There are few things which need to be reminded to you. In 1991, India liberalised its economy, slashing tariffs, tax rates, and the level of micromanagement of economic activities. This allowed foreign businesses access to previously public sector-only sectors. It was anticipated that these adjustments would put a stop to the corruption that has afflicted India, especially since the 1970s. However, in 2011, twenty years following liberalisation, a revived Indian economy was confronted with a governance problem. The headlines were dominated by scandals and scams. When the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) administration came to power in 2004, India's ranking in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index dropped from rank 90 to rank 94 (tied with Greece) in 2012, when the UPA government was halfway through its second term. India was viewed as substantially more corrupt in 2012 than most other South Asian states, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Indonesia, Egypt, and other post-Soviet countries (Russia 128, Ukraine 144), and more than South Africa, Brazil, and China (tied at position 69 and 80). India was placed 19th out of the 28 largest economies in the 2011 Bribe Payers Index, which gauges how often corporations believe bribery to occur in government contracts. This means that India was more corrupt than Brazil (14) and South Africa (15) but less corrupt than China (27) and Russia (28). Do you think that such a party, with such records will give you a New India, which is the need of the hour? Gen Z of this country needs a stable and corruption free nation so that they can thrive and compete with the global standards and that can’t be brought about by such corrupt practices as Congress has initiated. It is another ploy from COngress for another round of corruption from their leaders.
By Nilabh Krishna
(The content of this article reflects the views of writers and contributors, not necessarily those of the publisher and editor. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only)
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