The ruling party at the Centre grew richer by Rs 464 crore last year. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty/File)
THE BJP income increased by more than 80 per cent in 2016-17 as opposed to the Congress, which witnessed a 14 per cent slump in its earnings during the same period, an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has found.
The ruling party at the Centre grew richer by Rs 464 crore last year — from registering an income of Rs 570.86 crore in 2015-16 to Rs 1,034.27 crore in 2016-17. The Congress, on the other hand, earned Rs 225.36 crore last year, as against an income of Rs 261.56 crore in 2015-16. In fact, the Congress’s expenditure that year (Rs 321.66 crore) was more than its income.
The report further noted that between 2015-16 and 2016-17, the income of the Trinamool Congress decreased by 81.52 per cent and that of the CPI(M) fell by 6.72 per cent. The BSP, however, earned Rs 173 crore, an increase of over 250 per cent from Rs 47.48 crore in 2015-16.
ADR analysed the incomes of seven national parties including NCP, BSP, CPI, CPI(M) and Trinamool Congress. All seven collectively earned Rs 1,559.17 crore. “Grants/donations/contributions of Rs 997.12 crore declared by BJP formed 96.41% of the total income of the party during 2016-17. Declaration of Rs 115.64 crore under revenue from issuance of coupons by INC forms the top most income of the party, contributing 51.32% of the total income of the party during 2016-17,” the ADR said.