Amit Shah was speaking at a function to mark 51st death anniversary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay (File)

BJP president Amit Shah on Monday stressed on purity in election funding and said that political parties must run with donations from party workers and not from the black money of the rich.

Speaking at an event to mark the 51st death anniversary of its ideological mentor Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Mr Shah said: "Deen Dayal Upadhyayji stressed on clean funding, if parties had to be kept clean.

"If the means are not pure, the goals cannot be achieved with purity. If a party starts running with donations from the rich and those with black money, then its goals get tainted."

Amit Shah noted that as president of a political party himself, he can say that the BJP cannot manage all its election expenses from the contributions it receives from party workers. "It is not possible," he added.

Therefore, he stressed on the need for a public debate on bringing down election expenses and more probity in poll funding. "Such an exercise will begin under the BJP leadership," he said.

Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the steps taken by his government to bring transparency in donations received by political parties, Mr Shah said, "The Modi government has taken steps to clamp down on the influence of black money in politics as it has set a limit of Rs 2,000 for cash donations."

He said the government has made laws against corruption so strong that those breaking them are either caught or are sweating even in the Delhi winter.

Amit Shah also claimed that fugitive businessmen like Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi are feeling the heat of the country's strict laws. "They escaped the country fearing the law would catch up with them," he said.

Highlighting Mr Upadhyay's role in the formation of the BJP, Amit Shah said, "He made a party which was not ruled by the aura of its leaders but by its party workers and organisation."

Mr Upadhyay worked to strengthen the party and for acceptance of its ideology, and emphasised that the party should not win elections by cheap means, he added.