Programme Invitation

On the eve of 16th Lok Sabha Elections,

Delhi Solidarity Group (DSG) invites you to a
Public Meeting and Media Interaction
on
Corporate Funding of Elections in India:
Business Interests vs Peoples Interests
Date: 8th April, 2014 (Tuesday)
Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Venue: Dy. Chairman Hall, Constitution Club, New Delhi
Where are hundreds of crores of rupees coming to Political Parties in
India from?
How are Political Parties able to spend such huge amounts on
advertisements, political rallies, flying chartered jets and
helicopters, etc.?
Why are political parties so reluctant to disclose their sources of
funding?
What is the vested interests of big Corporate Houses in making huge
donations to Political Parties?
With the new amendment to the Companies Act, corporate funding of political
parties has only surged this year. Private Corporations are not charitable institutions,
who donate hundreds of crores of rupees to political parties without expecting any
favourable returns. As many as 14 Electoral Trusts have been set up by the
Private Companies for funding elections, which include big names like Tata,
Reliance, Mahindra, Bajaj and Vedanta. According to a report released earlier
by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a total of 6 Electoral Trusts
made a contribution of Rs 105.86 Crores to different political parties between FY
2004-05 to 2011-12.
There is a need for exposing the quid pro quo between the Business and the
Government and its larger ramifications, especially after the Indian Governments
recent decision to remove the upper cap on the amount companies can donate to

political parties. On the one hand, BJP has been shelling out hundreds of crores for
its over-the-top NaMo Campaign, while Congress did its best to woo the India Inc.
by appointing Veerappa Moily as the Environment Minister just before the Lok Sabha
elections to provide clearances to dozens of projects with a total worth of more than
Rs. 2.5 Trillion.
Most of the political parties try their best to please the Corporate Houses by making
favourable policies for them and the big companies are leaving no stone unturned in
channelling their money to political parties. The companies in return are expecting
huge favours made by the ruling Government in the form of making laws and
policies benefitting Corporate Houses, facilitating land acquisitions, relaxing various
labour and environmental regulations, giving huge tax waivers and even providing
military and police protection to ensure that business interests prevail over the
peoples interests. Whichever political party comes to power, it is the Corporate
Houses who get to benefit the most out of it. Over the last few years Corporate
Houses have been donating to both BJP and Congress in almost equal proportions
(along with donating to other political parties as well), so as not to alienate
themselves from any prominent political party.
This mode of Corporate Funding raises some serious questions over the legitimacy of
free and fair elections in India, as a selected group of entities are able to dictate
their terms using their money power, often at the cost of subverting the democratic
voices of people. This also calls for a wider debate on the proposed State Funding of
elections and whether business houses should be allowed to donate to political
parties (unlike only allowing individuals to donate to political parties). The Corporate
Funding of elections is also an indicator of growing influence of Corporate Lobbying
in India in coming years, which is following the footsteps of Corporate Hijack of the
US Political System.
In this context, on the eve of the 16th Lok Sabha elections, Delhi Solidarity Group
(DSG) is organizing a Public Meeting and Media Interaction on "Corporate
Funding of Elections in India" on 8th April (Tuesday) from 3:00 PM to 6:00
PM at Dy. Chairman Hall, Constitution Club, New Delhi to raise key concerns
over the rise in channelling of funds by the big Corporate Houses to fund the
political parties in India. The speakers joining us for this meeting are Paranjoy
Guha Thakurta, Prof. Trilochan Shastry (Association for Democratic
Reforms (ADR)), Anil Chaudhary (PEACE), Nikhil Dey (NCPRI), and
Venkatesh Nayak (Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI).
We cordially invite you to be a part of this important meeting.

For more details, please contact: Nishank (onlynishank@gmail.com or 9910137929)