PM Narendra Modi urges 'everyone' to donate to BJP after giving Rs 2,000

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today urged 'everyone' to donate money to the Bharatiya Janata Party to boost nation building by monetarily helping the efforts of the saffron party, which meanwhile is gearing up for the Lok Sabha elections.

The call to donate money to BJP comes weeks after the Supreme Court banned electoral bond, which was introduced by the Modi government, and helped political parties raise money. These bonds, which allowed for anonymous donations, had become a key component of political funding, with some regional parties relying heavily on them for financial support. For the BJP, electoral bonds constitute more than half of its overall income, indicating their crucial role in sustaining political campaigns.

The prime minister donated 2,000 rupees to the BJP party fund.


"I am happy to contribute to BJP4India and strengthen our efforts to build a Viksit Bharat," Modi wrote on X (previously Twitter).

"I also urge everyone to be a part of #DonationForNationBuilding through the NaMoApp!," he added.

Modi also shared a receipt of his 2,000 rupees payment to BJP, which he said is to strengthen their efforts to build a Viksit Bharat.

According to the receipt, the donations are exempt from Income Tax u/s 80GGB for companies and u/s 80 GGC for others as per Income Tax Act, 1961.

Last month, the country's apex court in a landmark ruling had scrapped electoral bonds that had become a major source of funding for political parties in India. The scheme, termed 'unconstitutional' now by the apex court, contributed over Rs 12,000 crore to political parties' coffers till last fiscal since its inception in 2018. Among the beneficiaries, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stood out, receiving a lion's share of around 55%, or approximately Rs 6,565 crore, according to data from the Election Commission and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

In the fiscal year 2018-19, after the introduction of electoral bonds, the BJP's income more than doubled from Rs 1,027 crore to Rs 2,410 crore, while the Congress also saw a significant increase from Rs 199 crore to Rs 918 crore.

During the fiscal year 2022-23, the BJP's total income was Rs 2,360 crore, with nearly Rs 1,300 crore coming from electoral bonds. In contrast, the Congress's total income dropped to Rs 452 crore, with Rs 171 crore from electoral bonds.