'Imperfections Can Be Corrected': PM Modi On Electoral Bond Issue

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday broke his silence over the Opposition parties' repeated attack on the Electoral Bond row, saying "nothing is perfect" and "imperfections can be corrected."

In an interview with Tamil news channel Thanthi TV, PM Modi said, "People who are protesting against the electoral bonds will soon regret it. Before 2014, there was no trail of funds given to political parties during elections. I introduced the electoral bonds. Thanks to the electoral bonds, we can now trace the source of funding. Nothing is perfect, imperfections can be corrected."

Last month, a five-judge apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, said the electoral bonds scheme violates the right to information and the freedom of speech and expression under the Constitution.

Following a Supreme Court directive, the State Bank of India had shared the data with the Election Commission which has made the data on electoral bonds public.

According to the data uploaded by the poll panel, the buyers of electoral bonds include Grasim Industries, Megha Engineering, Piramal Enterprises, Torrent Power, Bharti Airtel, DLF Commercial Developers, Vedanta Ltd., Apollo Tyres, Lakshmi Mittal, Edelweiss, PVR, Keventer, Sula Wine, Welspun, and Sun Pharma.

The parties that redeemed electoral bonds include the BJP, Congress, AIADMK, BRS, Shiv Sena, TDP, YSR Congress, DMK, JDS, NCP, Trinamool Congress, JDU, RJD, AAP, and the Samajwadi Party, according to the data.

However, the Opposition parties have come down heavily on the ruling party accusing the BJP of misusing the scheme claiming that many donors contributed to the saffron party after being raided by the central agencies.

In the interview, PM Modi emphasized that all his actions should not be politicized, emphasizing that his focus remains on serving the nation, with Tamil Nadu being a pillar of strength.

PM Modi said, "Just because I am a politician does not mean every action I undertake is only to win elections or for power or for votes. If merely winning elections was my goal, I would not have worked for the development of the northeast. I have visited northeastern states more than all of the former Prime Ministers' combined."

Talking about the developmental works undertaken in Tamil Nadu, he said, "Viksit Bharat' is Viksit Rajya which means every part of the country should be a recipient of development. It is also Viksit Tamil Nadu. To build a Viksit Bharat, we first need to develop each state. Tamil Nadu has huge potential which must not be wasted. I believe that Tamil Nadu has the potential to become the driving force behind our dream of a Viksit Bharat," he said during his conversation with Thanti TV.

He also had good words about Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai. "We worked for Tamil Nadu even when we did not have a single municipal candidate. Annamalai is attracting the youth. They see him and think that if money and corruption were the reasons behind his conduct, then he could have joined the DMK or AIADMK. It was not for selfish or personal reasons that Annamalai chose the BJP but to work for the nation. He is working for the country and for Tamil Nadu," PM Modi said.