The Income Tax department was probing the funds and donations of Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party.
Highlights
- 2 crores received in bank drafts ahead of 2015 election
- AAP not able to explain source of these funds, say tax officers
- AAP's many crises include sacking Kapil Mishra as minister
The Aam Aadmi Party, a
lightning rod for scandal in recent weeks, has a new controversy to contend with. Tax officials say they the party, which is headed by Arvind Kejriwal, has been unable to explain the source of 2 crores of donations received by it ahead of the 2015 election. Last week, the party was asked by the Home Affairs Ministry to explain details of the funds it has received from overseas supporters.
Mr Kejriwal, the 49-year-old Chief Minister of Delhi, has said the accusations of illicit funding are part of the centre's attempt to discredit AAP and its stated commitment to fighting graft as the main reason for its existence.
After punishing performances in recent elections in Punjab and Delhi, Mr Kejriwal has confronted deepening fissures. First, poet and crowd-puller
Kumar Vishwas had to be coaxed out of quitting the Aam Aadmi Party or AAP. Then, Kapil Mishra, one of seven ministers in Delhi, sacked on Saturday for inadequate performance, said that Mr Kejriwal was given two crores in cash by another minister, Satyendar Jain. Mr Mishra has yet to follow up this charge with a case against the Chief Minister. He says that separately, he plans to provide information to establish that Mr Kejriwal is concealing crucial details that expose how former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and other officials pulled off a large swindle based on the hiring of private tankers to distribute water in the capital.
Mr Kejriwal tweeted "The truth will prevail" last night. Mr Mishra's allegations have been dismissed as fabricated by senior AAP leaders. Today, the party has promised a huge revelation at 2 pm in the Delhi Assembly. Sources say that the party has proof of an Electronic Voting Machine or EVM being hacked.
After AAP failed to win Punjab despite a sweeping campaign by Mr Kejriwal, he ascribed the defeat to rigged machines, charges firmly refuted by the Election Commission. However, with other parties like the Congress making similar allegations, the Commission has called a meeting of all parties on Friday to address their concern and will reportedly hold a hackathon at the end of the month to allow techies to take a shot at proving the machines can be gamed.