ED Alleges AAP Received Rs 7 Crore in Foreign Funds, AAP Denies Claims
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of violating the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) by receiving over Rs 7 crore in foreign funds. The ED first communicated these allegations to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in October 2022, following the discovery of incriminating documents during a drug-related money laundering probe against former Punjab AAP MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira. The probe indicated that AAP had mis-declared and manipulated donor identities and nationalities, including donations from Canadian nationals.
AAP has dismissed the allegations as an old issue, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating a conspiracy to tarnish its reputation. AAP Delhi minister Atishi asserted that the party has transparently accounted for every donation received. AAP national general secretary Sandeep Pathak emphasized that the MHA had previously found nothing wrong with AAP’s funding, questioning the timing of the renewed accusations.
The controversy has resurfaced shortly after Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly receiving political funding from the banned extremist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). This recommendation was based on a complaint alleging AAP received $16 million from Khalistani groups between 2014 and 2022, further fueling the political friction between AAP and BJP.
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