Addition to Folklore

Less than a fortnight ago there were reports in the Press that as a result of strong pressures within the Congress, government might drop the move to ban donations by companies to political parties. S K Patil, a king-pin in the party apparatus for mobilising resources, did say publicly that he was opposed to what he called “a blanket ban”. In the event, the
pressures were evidently overruled and one of the objectives of the Bill to amend the Companies Act introduced in the Lok Sabha on Saturday last is to prohibit companies from contributing funds to political parties or to individuals for political purposes. The earlier reports only served to impart an extra radical air to the move.