By Special Correspondent
New Delhi: After an RTI revelation on the PM-Cares Fund, the Social Democratic Party of India, (SDPI) on Thursday sought to know whether the PM-CARES Fund is a private or a government trust. The Fund was set up for Covid-19 in May this year but opaqueness is galore about its status.
The party has posed this question after an activist through an RTI query revealed that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, while issuing the March 28 Office Memorandum, defined PM-CARES as a “fund set up by the Central government”. However, the trust deed from a day before said it was not government-run, so PM-CARES could not have been eligible for corporate donations.
The contradiction continued until almost two months later, on May 26, the Corporate Affairs Ministry added the PM-CARES Fund to the Companies Act retrospectively from March 28. For two months, PM-CARES or the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund were a private entity receiving corporate donations.
SDPI National General Secretary Elyas Mohammad Thumbe underlined duality of its status as to avoid RTI queries it is a Private Trust and to receive corporate contributions it is a Government Trust.
He said it is utter misuse of power. “If BJP Govt does it doesn’t come under corruption, but if any others do then all hue and cry. It is sheer hypocrisy.”
When will the people of India understand this type of day light robbery? Why such a huge fund doesn’t have any accountability, he asked.
“If it’s a public fund and whoever is contributing to it then the expenses need to be in the public domain or accessible to the public. When you receive huge sums of money, don’t know legally or illegally, and there’s no accountability, then it’s called corruption. Perhaps, it is a perfect case for the ED and CBI to investigate,” he added.
Thumbe has asked the unaudited PM Cares fund to be spent on what projects?
“No one can audit or check or verify. Is this not susceptible to corruption? If this is unaudited then it is as equal as black money spent on horse trading and political campaigns.”
Using this money power BJP will buy all power/money hungry politicians who have no moral values, he alleged and added that the hallmark of our PM is contradiction. His words contradict with action. His lips preach for welfare of the nation while his hands work for private Gujarati business people, he remarked.
He questioned how come the PM of India in office can open a private company? Our judiciary is not independent, it’s why such corruption of BJP gets scot free.
“If at least these 4 issues such as Demonetization, Rafael, Electoral bonds and PM-CARES fund are investigated unabashedly then India will witness huge corruption of BJP where Congress will even not stand nearby to BJP,” SDPI leader said.
“How can BJP construct their offices all over the country in each district? BJP`s assets could be more than UP or Delhi budget. Therefore, India is hijacked by BJP and they will loot India and ruin India more than the Congress did in 60 years of its rulings. What were civil servants doing? Ignoring legal violations?”
Thumbe said that like this each CM of a state could set-up a private fund and seek inclusion for corporate donation under CSR corporate donations. It doesn’t matter, people are blind. They will keep supporting the Modi Govt. due to Hindutva. That is the reality right now. He nicknamed PM Cares funds as “PM Don’t Care Fund Scam”.
