As of 9 AM Tuesday, the Congress said it had raised Rs 1.45 crore through the ‘Donate for Desh’ initiative, a crowdfunding campaign the party launched before the Lok Sabha elections next year. The party expressed gratitude to the people who donated to it.
Sharing details of the contributions, Ajay Maken, Treasurer of the Indian National Congress, said the states that made the highest donations were Maharashtra (Rs 30.6 lakh), Rajasthan (Rs 12.98 lakh) and Uttar Pradesh (Rs 10.89 lakh). Donations from Delhi and Karnataka totalled Rs 10.58 lakh and Rs 10.51 lakh, respectively.
— Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) December 19, 2023
Also Read: Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress launches ‘Donate for Desh’ crowdfunding campaign ahead of polls
The Congress party’s ‘Donate for Desh’ campaign hit an unexpected hurdle on Monday as users searching for the domain to donate to the party were led to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s donation page.
Media reports said that the BJP went ahead and registered a domain in the name of the Congress’ campaign soon after the grand old party announced the initiative. The link to the Congress’ crowdfunding campaign is donateinc.in. Social media was set abuzz as media reports suggested that the Congress’ campaign was being “redirected” to the BJP donation page. The Congress, however, clarified that the domain for its crowdfunding campaign was different from the name of the campaign.
Congress President Shri @Kharge inaugurates ‘𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐡’ – Indian National Congress’ Online Crowdfunding Initiative.Beyond a campaign, it’s a commitment to champion the rights of marginalized communities, bridge disparities, and stand as a formidable… pic.twitter.com/ArxD9fLwQl
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 18, 2023
The Congress on Monday launched its online crowdfunding initiative where it urged common people and its supporters to contribute to the party in multiples of Rs 138, an amount marked to commemorate 138 years of the Congress party.
Also Read: Deciphering state elections: Modi’s influence, a resilient Congress and the lesson for INDIA coalition
Launching the initiative, Congress president, who contributed Rs 1,38,000 towards the campaign, said that the party is seeking help from the general public to work towards taking the country forward. “Through ‘Donate for Desh’ we will work to take the country forward by taking help from the general public. Congress has always got the help of the general public. Mahatma Gandhi also got independence for the country with the help of his countrymen. This is becoming a campaign in the entire country, in which people are coming forward and donating for the country,” the Congress president said.
The Congress said in an earlier post that ‘Donate for Desh’ was beyond a campaign. “…it’s a commitment to champion the rights of marginalized communities, bridge disparities, and stand as a formidable opposition against a government favouring the affluent. Join us in the fight against unprecedented unemployment and rising costs. Stand with the Indian National Congress as it strides beyond its 138th year, stronger and more determined than ever. Be a Changemaker, Contribute,” it said.