Sun Sep 29 02:59:38 UTC 2024: ## Congress Protests, Demands Sitharaman’s Resignation Over Electoral Bond Scheme
**Bengaluru, September 28, 2024:** Congress workers in Bengaluru staged a protest on Saturday demanding the resignation of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The protest comes after a First Information Report (FIR) was filed against her alleging irregularities and misuse of the electoral bond scheme to extort money from companies.
The FIR, registered by the Tilak Nagar police, charges Ms. Sitharaman, along with the Enforcement Directorate (ED), BJP Karnataka unit president B.Y. Vijayendra, and senior party leader Nalin Kumar Kateel, under sections related to extortion and criminal conspiracy.
The complaint, filed by Adarsh R. Iyer of the Janaadhikaara Sangharsha Parishath (JSP), alleges that Ms. Sitharaman and ED officials, in collusion with BJP leaders, used the electoral bond scheme to extort over ₹8,000 crore from companies. Mr. Iyer claims that the “extortion” was carried out by threatening companies with ED raids and seizures if they refused to purchase electoral bonds in favor of the BJP.
The complaint further alleges that the BJP leaders then encashed the bonds. Mr. Iyer had initially approached the police with his complaint in March 2024 but when no action was taken, he filed a private complaint in court, which directed the police to register an FIR.
The Congress party, in a statement, condemned the alleged misuse of the electoral bond scheme and called for a thorough investigation into the matter. They also demanded Ms. Sitharaman’s immediate resignation, citing a conflict of interest.
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