Hyderabad: Activist and Supreme Court Actocate Prashant Bhushan raised concerns about the potential dangers to democracy and constitutional institutions if the BJP is re-elected.
Speaking at an event ‘Election 2024: Democracy and Constitution in Danger’, organized by Bharat Jodo Abhiyaan and Telangana People’s JAC at Madina Education Centre in Hyderabad on Sunday, Bhushan highlighted the electoral bonds scheme as the country’s biggest scam, alleging that it facilitated corruption on a massive scale with contracts and projects worth lakhs of crores being awarded in return for electoral bond contributions.
He criticized the central government for misusing and dominating important institutions like the ED, CBI, and the Income Tax department.
He also accused the government of weakening the Election Commission, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), and the independence of universities by appointing partisan members.
At the meeting, he revealed that while individual election candidates have a spending limit of ₹95 lakh, the BJP had amassed ₹8,400 crore through electoral bonds. Efforts are in motion to challenge this in the Supreme Court.
RTI and democratic rights activist Anjali Bharadwaj, also speaking at the event, supported Bhushan’s claims by highlighting that the Constitution is at risk under the current administration.
Prof. G. Haragopal, Convener, TPJAC, pointed out the government’s aggressive suppression of dissent and the misuse of harsh laws against critics.
The speakers called for collective action to defend democratic values, reminding the audience of Telangana’s rich history of advocacy and resistance.
