The government's move to withdraw high-denomination notes has turned the spotlight to what has been described as India's 'fountainhead of black money' - funding of political parties. An analysis by the NGO, Association for Democratic Reforms, has shown that over 75% of donations to India's political parties come from undocumented sources and can't be traced. Calls for more scrutiny over political funding has grown since the November 8 demonetisation move, especially after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley clarified that parties haven't been granted exemption from tax scrutiny and that an old law hasn't been tampered with. The statement was a response to reports after Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said, "If it is a deposit in the account of political parties, they are exempt." Does blaming an old law sit well with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aims to kill black money? On Agenda - can party politics and its funding be made transparent?
