Big Scam: Congress stages walkout in Lok Sabha over electoral bonds

New Delhi, Nov 21: The Congress on Thursday staged a walkout in Lok Sabha accusing the Narendra Modi government of making "government corruption official" by introducing anonymous electoral bonds.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Congress leader Manish Tewari said that the government's decision to go ahead with the scheme despite the central bank's reservations "made government corruption official".

Tewari said despite reservations expressed by the Reserve Bank of India and the Election Commission, the government went ahead with the introduction of electoral bond.

"There used to be control over the influence of the rich on politics earlier, this scheme introduced through the 2017 budget made donation anonymous," he said.

People don't know who is the donor, who is the receiver and how much money has been given, said the Congress leader citing documents gathered through the RTI Act to make his point.

Tewari's reference to the role of the Prime Minister's Office prompted Speaker Om Birla to turn off his mic and ask another member to raise the issue.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who was in the House, then left her seat and led a walkout by her party members.

Under the scheme, the government has offered complete anonymity to those making donations.

A donor could now anonymously buy a bond and deposit it with the political party of his or her choice.