BJP questions Rajiv Gandhi Foundation’s Chinese funding – Ravi Shankar Prasad asks ‘why the donation was taken ?’

• China donated Rs. 2.3 crore to Rajiv Gandhi Foundation
• The Congress party should tell facts to Indian people. Otherwise, it would be presumed that Congress and China are close to each other and this friendship is harming the country.
• This goes to show how Congress has misused its power for the last 60 years. This is nothing but an anti-people act on the part of Congress.
• Government should conduct a thorough inquiry and bring the facts out for the Indian people. If the Congress party is found guilty, it should be declared as seditious, and a ban should be imposed on it.

New Delhi – Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad lashed out at the Congress after it was revealed that Rajiv Gandhi Foundation headed by interim party president Sonia Gandhi had received Rs. 2.36 crore from the Chinese Embassy in 2005-06.

Prasad said the Congress needed to explain why the Chinese Embassy donated the amount to Rajiv Gandhi Foundation saying there is a pattern as to why the grand old party does not condemn China. “10 years rule of Manmohan Singh government is littered with various evidence as to how the Congress tried to support China thereby making it earn tonnes of money by permitting the increase of trade deficit 33 times,” alleged Prasad.

‘First Congress gave land to China and then took money as charity’ 

Prasad further said that the comprehensive free-trade agreement between India and China pushed by Congress caused grave economic losses to the nation. Calling it a gross violation of Government rules and regulations, Prasad said first the party gave land to China, and then they took money as a charity.

“Rajiv Gandhi Foundation’s report 2009-11 mentions the proposed FTA between India and China will be feasible, desirable and mutually beneficial and should be comprehensive with free flow of good services, investment and capital,” he added.

Attacking the Congress, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya tweeted, “Not just the Embassy of The People’s Republic of China in India but even the Government of the People’s Republic of China is a donor to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. Congress President Sonia Gandhi is the Chairperson of RGF. Dr. Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi, PC and Priyanka Vadra sit on the board.”

The donation is in contravention of the provisions of the ‘Foreign Contribution Regulation Act’. As per the Act, Congress should have obtained permission for the Government before accepting the donation form a foreign entity. This has not been done. RGF is a political organisation and not an educational or cultural organisation.

RGF received donations from the public sector too

The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation received donations from the public sector institutions such as ONGC, Central Environment and Forest Ministry, Central Small Scale Industries, Central Health Ministry, etc.