Did Modi allow sale of bonds during Karnataka polls: Priyanka

Continuing its attack on the BJP government at the Centre, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday again cornered it on the issue of electoral bonds and asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi allowed the selling of electoral bonds during the Karnataka Assembly polls.

In a series of tweets, Priyanka said, "A report has made four disclosures in the case of donations through electoral bonds. Yesterday, the BJP government minister read a rotted paper in front of the press! But where are the answers to these questions?"

Firing salvos at the government over the issue, the Congress in-charge for eastern Uttar Pradesh said, "Is it true that the objections of the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) and Election Commission were rejected? It is written in the report that during the Karnataka elections, the Prime Minister allowed the sale of the bonds illegally, is it true? And the identity of the donor is confidential - Has the government lied?"

The party has upped the ante on the issue of electoral bonds, raising the matter in Parliament. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala also slammed the government over the issue and asked why BJP has taken donations from a person who is accused of buying Dawood Ibrahim aide Iqbal Mirchi's property.

"BJP's donation saga gets murkier - electoral bond scam to donations from accused of 'terror funding'! Why did BJP receive crores in donation from a company accused of buying properties of Iqbal Mirchi, a Dawood Ibrahim aide? Is this not 'treason' Amit Shah?" Surjewala said in a tweet.

Earlier in the day, the party protested at Gandhi Statue and demanded that the Prime Minister should break his silence on the issue. "Speak up Prime Minister," shouted Congress MPs who gathered near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament with placards in their hand, reading "Rs 6,000 crore robbery". The Congress has been raising the issue of electoral bonds in Parliament describing it as a "big scam".

The party also raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha. Senior party leaders said they will raise the issue in the Lok Sabha again.

The BJP has slammed the Congress for the fiasco in the House. On Thursday, Railways, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal attacked the Congress, saying that it is only natural that they will oppose a system which is cleansing the electoral process of the curse of black money.