Advani favours public funding of parties for polls

NEW DELHI - Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani Tuesday suggested public funding of political parties for the elections, contending that it will help weed out corruption from politics.

“There should be public funding of political parties for elections and once the amount is fixed by the state, the parties will not have to depend on big (business) houses,” Advani told reporters at a press conference of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders in the capital.

Advani, who during the course of the Lok Sabha electioneering announced public funding of elections as the party’s agenda for governance, said he looked forward to a day when this would be done.

“The BJP proposes to pursue the case,” he added, saying that public funding will help root out corruption.