‘BJP has framed new conspiracy’: AAP refutes allegations of receiving Rs 7.08 cr foreign fund illegally

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in response to the Enforcement Directorate’s allegations that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party collected Rs 7.08 crore from overseas in violation of forex norms, said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after failing to frame them for the ‘fake liquor policy scam’, has now hatched a new conspiracy. 

AAP leaders Atishi and Sandeep Pathak, addressing a joint press conference, said that the BJP was trying to rake up an old issue to target the party, and alleged that more such charges will emerge as they approach the Delhi elections. 

Accusing BJP of doing ‘dirty politics’ the party said that they have already submitted all the proof to the authorities concerned in the matter, and that it has maintained transparency in all the donations it has taken. 

"These are baseless allegations. It is an old case where it is already proved that no illegal donation was taken. As the elections are going on, the BJP has hatched a new conspiracy to frame the AAP. They failed to frame us in the liquor scam and the Swati Maliwal issue. They also failed to keep Kejriwal ji behind the bars. That's why they have raked up this new issue now to target AAP," Atishi alleged.

Atishi said that BJP is scared that AAP would win the polls. If the INDIA bloc comes to power after June 4, the ‘real investigation of the corruption’ done by BJP would be undertaken, she said. 

The AAP leader said that BJP formed the government in 2014 but could not do anything to keep growing inflation and unemployment in the country in check. The people of the country are angry and fed up with them, she said. 

"The BJP is scared of Kejriwal and it is known to them that they don't stand a chance to win in front of the work done by the AAP government. That's why as soon as the poll dates were announced, the BJP got Kejriwal arrested in a fake liquor scam case," she alleged.

Pathak said that Kejriwal’s arrest and other false allegations against the AAP have increased the vote share of the party. "We had already submitted all the proofs to the Enforcement Directorate, CBI and MHA. In 2015, MHA had told the High Court that there was no such thing found," he said.

ED’S ALLEGATIONS AGAINST AAP

The party’s response comes after ED wrote to the Union Home Ministry alleging that AAP has received more than Rs 7 crore in foreign funds in contravention of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). The communication was sent to the ministry after the agency recovered some documents and emails during a money laundering probe against AAP leader in Punjab, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, and others. 

The agency said that AAP received funds from multiple donors from US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, and other countries. To circumvent the restriction on foreign donations to political parties, AAP concealed the real identity of the donors, the ED alleged. 

ED said that the foreign donations were directly deposited to AAP’s IDBI bank account. It found siphoning of foreign funding by AAP leaders including Delhi MLA Durgesh Pathak in his personal bank account, the agency said.