Congress will collect donations before Lok Sabha elections, Kharge started ‘Donate for Country’ campaign by giving Rs 1.38 lakh.

Congress on Monday launched a crowdfunding campaign ‘Donate for Desh’ to raise resources for the party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge started the party’s online crowdfunding program by donating Rs 1.38 lakh. He appealed to Congress supporters to donate to support ‘the efforts to build a better India’.

Kharge said on this occasion that this is the first time that Congress is asking for donations from the people for the country. He said, if you work only by depending on rich people, then you will have to follow their policies. Mahatma Gandhi also took donations from the public during the freedom struggle.

What did Congress say?

Earlier, Congress leader KC Venugopal and Treasurer Ajay Maken told in a press conference that any person above 18 years of age can donate Rs 138, 1380 or 13800 in this campaign. Venugopal said the crowdfunding campaign is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s historic ‘Tilak Swaraj Fund’, which was launched more than a hundred years ago in 1920-21. He said that the objective of this initiative is to empower the party in building an India prosperous with equitable resource distribution and opportunities. Venugopal told that Congress is celebrating 138 years of journey. Therefore, people have been appealed to donate in multiples of 138.

Congress had launched an ‘outreach-cum-crowdfunding’ campaign on October 2, 2018, ahead of the last Lok Sabha elections, however, the campaign did not gain much momentum on the ground. According to the news agency, Congress sources said that the party is facing financial crunch and Congress needs money to fight the ‘well-equipped BJP election machinery’.

BJP cornered Congress

BJP has targeted the opposition party Congress regarding this campaign. BJP alleged that this is another attempt to usurp public money and enrich the Gandhi family. Not only this, BJP attacked Congress by pointing to the record cash seizure during Income Tax raids at the premises of Congress MP Dheeraj Sahu.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala alleged that those who looted India for 60 years are now asking for donations from the same country. He claimed that Congress has started the ‘Donate for Country’ campaign to divert public attention from corruption. This has been started after the locations of Dheeraj Sahu.

BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya also targeted Congress. Amit Malviya said, do not be fooled by the tall talk of Congress that this crowdsourcing is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s historical Tilak Swaraj Fund.

Posting on X, he wrote, “They (Congress) will tarnish both Mahatma and Tilak. Given his past track record, this would be nothing but another attempt to embezzle public funds and enrich the Gandhi family. If people donate all the money they earn from their hard work, it will go to the Gandhi family, who will continue to enjoy the good life. “This step will become another means of demanding money.” Congress MP Dheeraj Sahu has been arrested. Malviya said, “Don’t donate for dynasty.”