Delhi's Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has recommended an NIA investigation against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is accused of receiving political funding from the banned terrorist organization 'Sikhs for Justice'.
The LG's office has written to the central Home Secretary in this regard. The letter mentions that the Aam Aadmi Party received funding of $18 million (about 133 crore rupees) from Khalistani organizations for facilitating the release of the imprisoned terrorist Devender Pal Bhullar.
The recommendation by LG Saxena arrives at a time when last week the Supreme Court hinted that considering the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Kejriwal could be considered for interim bail. Delhi's Chief Minister was arrested on March 21st in the alleged liquor scandal.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party has rejected these allegations, branding them as yet another 'conspiracy' against CM Kejriwal. The party also labelled the Delhi LG as BJP's 'agent'.
What exactly is the case? How did Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party get involved? What accusations have been levied by LG Saxena in his written correspondence? Let's delve into the details...
Who lodged the complaint?
On April 1st of this year, Ashu Mongia, who identifies himself as the National General Secretary of the World Hindu Federation India, registered a complaint with Delhi's LG Saxena.
In his complaint, Mongia made serious allegations against Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party, calling for an investigation into the matter.
Mongia also claimed that there was a secret meeting held at the Richmond Hill Gurdwara in New York, where a pledge was made to release Devender Pal Bhullar, who is currently imprisoned in Amritsar.
Also noteworthy: 'From $14 million to $157 million...,' the Supreme Court questions ED's lawyer about Kejriwal's bail during the hearing
Source: aajtak
Understand the accusations in 3 points:
1. $18 million of funding:
- Between 2014 and 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party supposedly received $18 million in funding from the Khalistani organization Sikhs for Justice. This funding was allegedly taken under the pretense of a promise to secure Bhullar's release from prison.
- The complainant provided a video of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu allegedly accusing Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party of receiving funding from Khalistani groups.
2. The secret meeting in New York:
- According to the complaint given to LG Saxena, Kejriwal held a secret meeting with Khalistani leaders during his trip to the US in 2014.
- This clandestine meeting between Kejriwal and the Khalistani leaders took place at the Richmond Hill Gurdwara in New York. It was there that Kejriwal allegedly made the promise of securing Bhullar's release in exchange for funding.
- The complaint also mentions that a former member of Aam Aadmi Party, Munish Kumar Raizada, shared a photo on social media that purportedly showed this secret meeting at the Richmond Hill Gurdwara.
3. The promise of Bhullar's release:
- A letter sent by the LG's office to the Central Home Secretary also referenced a correspondence from Kejriwal in January 2014. This letter indicated that Kejriwal had written to the then-President Pranab Mukherjee seeking clemency for Bhullar. In another letter written by CM Kejriwal in the same month to a person named Iqbal Singh, Kejriwal stated that his government had recommended Bhullar's release.
- Iqbal Singh had been staging a protest at Jantar Mantar for Bhullar's release. After receiving assurance of Bhullar's release from Kejriwal, he ended his hunger strike.
More reading: AAP accused of having ties with the terrorist group 'Sikhs for Justice'. What is SFJ, and why is it banned?
Source: aajtak
What is the Bhullar Case?
In 1993, Devender Pal Bhullar was convicted for his role in a bomb explosion in Delhi that claimed the lives of nine individuals.
On August 25, 2001, TADA court sentenced Bhullar to death, which was later commuted to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court.
The Delhi government's review board rejected Bhullar's early release in December 2023, citing national integrity and security risks. Previously incarcerated in Delhi's Tihar Jail, Bhullar was shifted to an Amritsar jail in June 2015 on medical grounds, where he remains to this day.
The Aam Aadmi Party's response:
In response to this entire situation, AAP leader and Delhi government minister Saurabh Bhardwaj described the allegations as another conspiracy orchestrated by BJP against Kejriwal.
Bhardwaj stated that BJP is panicking due to its anticipated loss of all seven seats in Delhi and hence resorting to such tactics. He claimed that a high-level investigation petition filed in this matter was dismissed by the Delhi High Court two years ago.
On social media platform X, he wrote, 'LG sahib is trying to grab headlines in election season. It's a sheer misuse of the constitutional office of LG.'
What next?
In the letter to the Central Home Secretary, Delhi's LG VK Saxena has recommended an NIA investigation into the whole affair. He emphasized the need for forensic examination of the electronic evidence provided by the complainant.
