The Congress party has collected a total donation amount of Rs 10. 5 crores through their crowdfunding campaign “Donate for Desh” as of now.
Ajay Maken, a senior Congress leader and party Treasurer, shared the news on X, stating that the highest donations were received from Telangana, amounting to 1.72 crore, followed by Haryana with 1.21 crore.
In his post on X, Maken expressed his admiration for the dedicated Congress workers in Haryana, who surpassed Maharashtra to secure the second position in terms of total donations. He commended their efforts and announced that Haryana alone contributed a significant amount of Rs 1.21 crore, pushing the overall donation amount past Rs 10.15 crore.
The top five states that contributed the most to the ‘Donate for Desh’ campaign were Telangana, Haryana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The crowdfunding campaign ‘Donate for Desh’ was launched by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in December, as a means to gather support for the party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The campaign draws inspiration from the ‘Tilak Swaraj Fund’ initiated in 1920. On the occasion of Congress completing 138 years, the party encouraged citizens to contribute in multiples of 138 (e.g., Rs 138, Rs 1380, Rs 13,800, or more).
The objective of the campaign is to empower the party in creating a more equitable India, where resources and opportunities are distributed fairly. Kharge emphasized that this is the first time Congress has sought public donations, drawing a parallel to Mahatma Gandhi, who also relied on public contributions during the freedom struggle.
Kharge stated, “It’s the first time that Congress is asking people for donations for the nation… If you work only by depending on the rich, then you have to follow their policies. Mahatma Gandhi also took donations from the public during the freedom struggle.”