Parties to spend Rs 30,000 cr in State: AAP
HYDERABAD: An estimated amount of Rs 30,000 crore is being spent in elections in the state and each party is spending about Rs 100 crore in each Lok Sabha constituency and close to Rs 40 crore in each Assembly constituency.
This startling observation was made by Aam Aadmi Party' Telangana Campaign Committee spokesman L Vishweshwer Rao here. Vishweshwara Rao said checking of two-wheelers and four-wheelers on roads was not enough, and charted flights, helicopters and jets also needed to be checked for money that was being transported to offer in return of votes.
'About 10 people can travel in a charted flight. Who knows how much money they carry? It needs to be checked,' he said. Quoting the Election Commission, he said Rs 108.70 crore in cash, over 4 lakh litres of liquor, and 69.5 kg of gold and 292.88 kg of silver have been seized in Andhra Pradesh so far.
Besides, mobile phones, fans and sarees are being distributed as gifts. 'Which leader's money is it? Of which political party? It is the people's right to know its source,' he said.
'According to the Election Commission, poll expenditure is the highest in 101 constituencies in Andhra Pradesh. Though campaigning has not picked up yet, so much money has been seized while being transported. That money is black. The next six days will be very crucial and we demand a thorough vigil and total check in these constituencies,' demanded Vishweshwer Rao.
Demanding the freezing of online bank transactions to curb its use as an option to route money by politicians for offering monetary gifts, Gosula Srinivas Yadav, committee member, said, 'A lot of bank accounts have been opened for online transaction of money.
Money is sent to self-help and other women's groups. All accounts having online transactions have to be frozen for the next ten days.'
Pointing out that Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee chief N Raghuveera Reddy, Telugu Desam Party president Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee boss Ponnala Lakshmaiah had not bothered to ask the Election Commission of India or the police about the ownership of the seized money, Srinivas alleged that the money belonged to only four political parties.
News Posted: 23 April, 2014
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