New Delhi, India

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The Congress party slammed the BJP on Sunday (September 29) after a case was filed against Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and others. The case is based on a complaint related to the now-cancelled electoral bonds scheme. Congress demanded Sitharaman’s resignation, accusing her of "undermining democracy."

'FM is 'guilty' politically, legally, and morally'

Speaking at a press conference, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, alongside spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, said that the government used four different methods to extort funds through what they called the "electoral bonds conspiracy". According to Ramesh, these included "prepaid bribery, postpaid bribery, post-raid bribery and through farzi (fake) companies."

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Ramesh said the Finance Minister should immediately resign as she is "guilty" politically, legally, and morally. He added that the Congress had no role in the FIR being filed, pointing out that it was registered under court orders.

Court-ordered FIR against FM Nirmala Sitharaman

The case was registered following a directive from a Bengaluru court, based on a complaint by Adarsh R. Iyer, co-president of the 'Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishath' (JSP). The complaint alleges that Sitharaman, along with Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials and BJP leaders, ran an extortion racket under the guise of the electoral bonds scheme, and extorted over ₹8,000 crore.

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Those named in the FIR include Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, BJP Karnataka chief B Y Vijayendra, and party leader Nalin Kumar Kateel, among others. They face charges of extortion (under Section 384 of the IPC), criminal conspiracy (120B), and common intention (34).

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Congress spokespersons also reiterated their demand for an investigation into the electoral bonds scheme, which was scrapped by the Supreme Court earlier this year because it violated fundamental rights such as the right to information and freedom of speech, posing a threat to free and fair elections in the country.

Congress said that Sitharaman couldn’t have acted alone, hinting at the involvement of others. "The Finance Minister cannot do this on her own. We know who is number 1 and number 2 and this was done on whose directions," Singhvi said.

"The larger issue is the level playing field which is necessary for free and fair polls. Free and fair polls are critical for democracy. This is an attack on our democratic system," Singhvi said while terming it as "EBS - Extortionist BJP Scheme," Singhvi added.

(With inputs from agencies)