Desperate Modi govt trying to use SBI to bulldoze SC judgment on electoral bonds scheme: Congress

New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday attacked the Centre over the State Bank of India moving the Supreme Court to seek more time to disclose electoral bond details, alleging that the Modi government is using the country's largest bank as a shield to hide its "dubious dealings".

The State Bank of India (SBI) on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking an extension till June 30 to disclose details of each electoral bond encashed by political parties.

In its verdict last month, the top court directed SBI to furnish the details to the Election Commission of India by March 6.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the party's position on the electoral bonds scheme is that it is "opaque, undemocratic and destroyed the level playing field".

"The (Narendra) Modi government is using the largest bank of our country as a shield to hide its dubious dealings through electoral bonds," he said.

No less than the Supreme Court had struck down the Modi government's "black money conversion scheme" of electoral bonds, holding it "unconstitutional", "violative of RTI" and "illegal" and asked SBI to furnish donor details by March 6, he said.

But the BJP wants it to be done after the Lok Sabha elections by June 30, Kharge said.

Alleging that the BJP was the main beneficiary of the "fraudulent" electoral bonds scheme, Kharge said, "Isn't the government conveniently hiding the BJP's shady dealings? (PTI)