Madras high court moved seeking CBI probe into BJP's NaMo micro donation 'scandal'

CHENNAI: A Chennai-based journalist has moved the Madras high court seeking a CBI probe against BJP and its former national president J P Nadda for their involvement in the 'micro-donation online scandal' through the NaMo App. He wanted the court to direct them to produce the entire account of funds collected so far through the app.

According to petitioner B R Aravindakshan, donors were not transparently informed whether their contributions towards Swachh Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao or Kisan Seva actually reached any govt account for those schemes. Contributions were treated solely as party funds, thereby potentially amounting to cheating and criminal breach of trust.

He said on Dec 25, 2021, the then president of BJP, Nadda, publicly announced a special micro-donation campaign of the BJP through the NaMo App, stating that the campaign would run from Dec 25, 2021, the birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to Feb 11, 2022, the Punya Tithi of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, and appealed to the public to make micro-donations that would empower the party, which always puts India first.

“Citizens, including me, were induced to donate through the app on the express appeal of the Prime Minister and the president of BJP, with the unmistakable impression that contributions were being made both to the BJP and to Union govt schemes like Swachh Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Kisan Seva,” the petitioner said.

However, claiming that the issue had national ramifications, the petitioner said, “There is a pointer of largescale misrepresentation to all the citizens across India who donated in good faith, believing they were supporting Union govt welfare schemes. It concerns the integrity and dignity of the office of the Prime Minister.”

The petitioner wanted the probe to be conducted against Amit Malviya, chief complaints officer of NaMo App. The plea is likely to be listed for hearing before the first bench headed by Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari on Monday.

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