Arvind Kejriwal was accused of money-laundering by sacked AAP minister Kapil Mishra.
Highlights
- Kapil Mishra accused Arvind Kejriwal of money-laundering
- AAP rejects charges, says he is "spreading lies"
- Mr Mishra was sacked by AAP as minister over 'non-performance'
Sacked Delhi minister
Kapil Mishra today accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of money-laundering and said that was the main reason he had opposed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's notes ban. Mr Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has rubbished the charge, calling it another example of the BJP using Mr Mishra to spread lies.
"Why did he (Kejriwal) fiercely oppose demonetisation? Why did he travel across the country against the move? Because his men, who hoard black money, were being raided by enforcement agencies," the suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader alleged at a press conference. He also charged that AAP's donors included shell companies and wondered how the party accepted funds from companies that were slapped notices "for not paying VAT (Value Added Tax)".
Mr Mishra was sacked over a week ago and later suspended by the party as he went nuclear, targeting the AAP leadership, especially Mr Kejriwal. He accused his former boss of taking bribes and also facilitating deals for his relatives. His attacks on Mr Kejriwal have been regular and unwavering.
Embellishing his latest set of charges with a PowerPoint presentation, Mr Mishra also alleged that Delhi-based businessman Mukesh Kumar, who claimed to have donated Rs 2 crore to AAP in 2014, was only a front for "proclaimed black money offenders".
"Ten days before AAP took office in 2013, Mukesh Kumar's company was slapped a notice by the Delhi government for not paying VAT. And then this person goes on to donate Rs 2 crore to AAP," he said.
He also questioned Mr Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia for not acting against Mukesh Kumar for defaulting on VAT after AAP came to power in Delhi in 2013.
Mr Kejriwal's first stint as Delhi Chief Minister ended within 49 days when he abruptly quit after accusing the Congress and the BJP of blocking the anti-corruption Jan Lokpal Bill.
"In order to tarnish AAP's image, BJP is developing a new ploy every day," AAP's Sanjay Singh said later, asserting that every donation was in the public domain and "declared as per rule".
"For the last two years the BJP is trying to find ills in AAP, but they are not able to find anything," he commented.