Sitharaman must quit: Demand after FIR against FM over poll bond extortion

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has asked Nirmala Sitharaman to resign as Union Finance Minister following the filing of an FIR against her in an alleged connection with extortion using electoral bonds

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has asked Nirmala Sitharaman to resign as Union Finance Minister following the filing of an FIR against her in an alleged connection with extortion using electoral bonds.

The Karnataka Chief Minister also asked PM Modi to quit office so that impartial probe in the matter is conducted.

“The Court of People's Representatives has issued an order to file an FIR against Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in connection with the electoral bond scam. When will the leaders protest and march for her resignation, Karnataka BJP?

“If there is an impartial investigation into this case, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also have to resign," Siddaramaiah wrote in a post on social media platform X, originally launched as Twitter.

Case against Sitharaman

Siddaramaiah’s demand came after the Bengaluru police registered an FIR against Nirmala Sitharaman, unnamed Enforcement Directorate officials, national leaders of the BJP and the former state president of the BJP of being involved in extortion and criminal conspiracy through the electoral bonds scheme of the BJP government.

The FIR was filed against Sitharaman based on a private complaint filed by Adarsh R. Iyer, co-president of Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishath (JSP).

Iyer in his complaint alleged criminal conspiracy and extortion, adding the accused forced companies and other individuals to make donations through electoral bonds in favour of the BJP and benefited to the tune of over ₹8,000 crore.

He also claimed that Ms. Sitharaman used the ED to “conduct raids, seizures, and arrests to compel the corporates to pay”.

The Supreme Court of India had in Feburary this year struck down the Electoral Bonds Scheme as unconstitutional on the grounds that it violates the citizens' right to information.

Iyer had on March 30 this year approached the Tilak Nagar police station with a complaint, and then approached DCP, Bengaluru Southeast, in April, 2024. Since there was no action, he moved the court.

Commenting on the FIR against Sitharaman, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the party will closely monitor the case.

"We raised the issue in Parliament that they took electoral bonds by intimidating people through ED, CBI... Someone has taken the issue to the court. We will wait and see what happens to the case," Kharge said.

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