Modi’s ₹4,300 Crore Scam and the Death of Political Accountability

 

Modi’s ₹4,300 Crore Scam and the Death of Political Accountability

Since 2019, over ₹4,300 crore has been funneled into ten virtually unknown political parties based in Gujarat. These parties, despite receiving fewer than 54,029 votes across national and state elections, declared nearly zero candidate-level spending of just ₹39 lakh. But their official expense reports show over ₹3,500 crore in additional expenditures. The question isn’t just where this money came from; it’s what it was used for. Because this isn’t just a financial irregularity, it’s a political operation hiding in plain sight.

Was this money laundered to clean up black money under the cover of campaign finance? Was it used to grease the machinery of enforcement, paying off agencies like the ED, CBI, and Income Tax Department to carry out targeted raids on the opposition? Was this just another arm of Modi’s sophisticated political war chest, now exposed through public records and investigative reporting?

This isn’t about one scandal. It’s about an entire shadow economy that runs parallel to the democratic system. Dirty money flows in through illegal businesses, narcotics, smuggling, prostitution, unregulated entertainment, and flows out clean through political donations, often in the name of nationalism, religion, or economic development. And Gujarat has been the epicenter of this model.

Most people think the Gujarat Model is about Modi’s success; unfortunately, the real model was built on laundering black money, something that’s been happening quietly for over 70 years. Congress did not build this system, but its biggest failure was that it didn’t dismantle it either. Earlier, BJP leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani understood that the system was broken, not uniquely corrupted by Congress. While Congress focused on nation-building institutions, infrastructure, and poverty alleviation, it left this parallel economy untouched, wary of alienating the business community.

But then came Narendra Modi, a man with less integrity, less education, and more ambition. He was willing to do what others wouldn’t: aggressively serve the interests of corporate elites in exchange for political power. That’s why the business lobby chose him, installed him in Gujarat, and helped create a model that looked clean on the outside but was driven by unchecked corruption behind the scenes. During his tenure, illegal activities grew dramatically but stayed hidden, protected by PR, religious posturing, and a captured media.

As Modi’s power grew, so did the machinery behind him. The RSS had been preparing the ground for decades working patiently for over 67 years to push a narrative that India should be a Hindu Rashtra. But their vision wasn’t spiritual it was feudal. They wanted to return to an old system where wealth and power were concentrated in the hands of a few, masked by religious identity, much like Pakistan’s descent into theocratic oligarchy. In the name of Hindutva, what we’re seeing is a systematic transfer of wealth, power, and influence into the hands of a small elite while the masses are pacified with slogans and symbolism.

This is not devotion. This is exploitation.

Take the land deal in Ayodhya: a plot bought for ₹2 crore was sold minutes later to the Ram Mandir Trust for ₹20 crore. That’s not faith it’s profiteering off belief. It’s no different than the way Somnath was looted centuries ago, but instead of blaming foreign invaders, this time the looters wear saffron and call themselves saviors.

The ₹4,300 crore shell-party scandal is the latest proof that the Modi Model isn’t about governance it’s about control. These ghost parties exist to move money, manipulate systems, and insulate powerful players from scrutiny. This is why there will be no investigation. Because the system isn’t broken it’s working exactly as those in power intended.

And yet, this is also a moment for the opposition to rise not just with outrage, but with action. In 2011, Anna Hazare demanded a Lokpal to fight corruption, and the Congress government was forced to respond. Today, the Congress must lead a new charge not just to clean up after Modi, but to dismantle the system that enabled him.

We need a stronger Lokpal 2.0, one that demands full, real-time transparency of political donations, audits religious and educational institutions that serve as fronts for laundering, and grants full independence to enforcement agencies. We need a new political finance law that makes it impossible to hide behind shell parties, anonymous bonds, or ideological smokescreens.

Because without transparency, democracy is a myth. Without accountability, elections are rigged before a single vote is cast. And without bold reform, India will keep falling deeper into a system where power is bought, not earned, and the people are kept busy clapping while their future is being stolen.

This is the time to act. The ₹4,300 crore is not just a scandal; it is a warning. Either the people of India rise now and demand justice, or they must prepare to live in a nation where truth is buried, faith is sold, and democracy is nothing more than a slogan.