Poll bonds are a political bribe for favours, says CPI(M)

CPI(M) State Secretary in West Bengal exposes similarities between BJP and Trinamool Congress through electoral bond revelations.

The CPI(M)‘s State Secretary in West Bengal, Md Salim, said on March 17 that revelations on electoral bonds triggered by the apex court’s orders have exposed the similarities between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool Congress. He said that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) stands proud and vindicated for challenging the electoral bond scheme before the Supreme Court,

Addressing a press conference at the CPI(M) headquarters in Kolkata, Mr. Salim said that electoral bonds were a “political bribe” to secure contracts, something similar to the cut money culture in West Bengal.

“CPI(M) is the only political party which has not taken a single penny from any corporate. No corporate can dare to claim to have issued a bribe to the CPI(M). The corporates have given the highest bribe to the BJP and then to the Trinamool Congress and other parties,” the CPI(M) leader said.

Mr. Salim went on to add that after these developments the media should not paint all political parties with the same brush. “Do not paint everybody with the same brush, you can paint BJP and Trinamool with the same brush but not the CPI(M),” he said. Mr. Salim raised the issue of electoral bonds purchased by pharmaceutical firms and the rise in price in medicines and the bonds purchased by power distribution companies in West Bengal.

On the electoral alliance with the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls, the CPI(M) leader said that the alliance is being worked out. “We are now trying to stitch together the anti-BJP and Trinamool forces in the state. You will know only when it is stitched,” Mr. Salim said. The Left Front leadership has announced candidates for 16 out of 42 seats in West Bengal.