State poll funding inconsistent with reality, says govt

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 9

The government today said in the Lok Sabha that it was open to all suggestions on political funding but requested the political parties to stop finding problems with the solutions that had been found to address the issue.

Responding to the debate on the Union Budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while saying he “was open to discussing state funding of elections” as suggested by the Trinamool Congress, added, “Optimism on state funding arises from the presumption that once state funding is done, elections will only be fought with the money provided by the state and no private money will be used. This presumption is not consistent with the Indian reality.”

Jaitley was responding to TMC MP Saugata Roy’s remarks that elections should be funded by the state and also to BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab’s apprehensions on electoral bonds Jaitley announced in his Budget speech earlier.

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Reserving the larger debate on political funding until the discussions on the Finance Bill in the next half of the Budget Session starting March 9, Jaitley said, “We welcome any improvements but please don’t suggest problems for every solution. Because otherwise the status quo will continue.”

The FM said in the Budget speech that people will be allowed to buy electoral bonds from banks for grant to political parties. He also said the cash donation limit for parties will be reduced to Rs 2,000, instead of Rs 20,000 in line with the Election Commission’s directives. 

Jaitley said digital donations to parties was the best form and would revive the system where political workers would volunteer small donations to parties.