According to the data, the TMC, led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, received Rs 1,610 crore through electoral bonds from 211 donors between April 12, 2019 and January 24, 2024.
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata on Saturday, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, “The Trinamool (TMC) did not know how much money was given to the party through electoral bonds. Suppose someone buys an electoral bond. They have 10 days’ time (to give it to a political party). A drop box was kept in front of the TMC office. Anyone could put money in that box.
There is no way to know who the giver is. According to the law introduced by the BJP-led Centre, the electoral bond would have no names, only an alpha-numeric code. It was not mentioned anywhere (on the bond), which company bought it or who was the donor. The BJP had introduced the system in the country. They knew who gave them money. They have CBI, ED and Income Tax departments and they used these agencies to accumulate that money, but the TMC has no ED or CBI.”
Ghosh’s remarks stoked a political row in the state with Opposition parties hitting out at the TMC. BJP leader Rahul Sinha said, “The TMC has gone mad while suppressing its corruption and is now making such weird arguments.”
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “It is clear that the TMC used corporate houses to loot public money. They gave a freehand to the CESC to increase electricity charges and told them to pay their part of the profit with electoral bonds. They also gave a freehand to lottery organisations and took money from them and that is more than Rs 500 crore.”
“Now, after the truth has come to light, they are giving such lame excuses,” he added.
As per the data released by the SBI after a prod from the Supreme Court, lottery company Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt Ltd – the biggest purchaser of electoral bonds – had bought bonds worth over Rs 1,300 crore between 2019 and 2024. It donated the highest amount of Rs 542 crore to the TMC, the state showed.
Among the party’s other donors were: Transways Exim Private Limited, Keventer Foodpark Infra Limited, Rashmi Cement Ltd, Rahul Bhatia, Westwell Gases Private Limited, Phillips Carbon Black Limited, Misrilall Mines Pvt Ltd, Himalayan Endeavour Pvt Ltd, M/s Ramesh Agarwal C S Bottling, PL Ripley & Co Stevedoring & Handling Pvt, Castle Liquors Private Limited, and Monalisa Bottling Industries Pvt Ltd.