Lt Governor recommends NIA probe into alleged ‘Khalistani funding’ involving Arvind Kejriwal
- In Reports
- 07:57 PM, May 06, 2024
- Myind Staff
Delhi's Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has proposed a NIA investigation into accusations that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP government accepted funding from 'Sikhs for Justice', a banned US-based Khalistani group.
AAP leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj strongly refuted the allegations, labeling them as "another conspiracy" against Kejriwal.
The Lt Governor's Secretariat stated that Saxena received a complaint alleging that AAP received USD 16 million from pro-Khalistani groups to secure the release of 1993 Delhi blasts convict and terrorist Devendra Pal Bhullar and to advocate pro-Khalistani sentiments.
He stated that due to the complaint implicating a Chief Minister and concerning political funding from a banned organisation, "the electronic evidence provided by the complainant needs investigation, including forensic examination".
The Lt Governor also forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs a letter penned by Kejriwal to one Iqbal Singh in January 2014, in which he mentioned that "the AAP government has already recommended to the President the release of Bhullar and would be working on other issues, including the formation of SIT, sympathetically and in a time-bound manner".
Iqbal Singh fasted at Jantar Mantar, seeking written assurance for Bhullar's release. He concluded the fast upon receiving Kejriwal's letter.
The complaint cites a video released by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of Sikhs for Justice and a wanted Khalistani terrorist. In the video, Pannun alleges that AAP received USD 16 million from Khalistani groups between 2014 and 2022.
It is alleged that Kejriwal held closed-door meetings with Khalistani leaders at Gurudwara Richmond Hills, New York, during his 2014 visit. The Lt Governor's office asserts that Kejriwal purportedly pledged to facilitate Bhullar's release in exchange for significant financial support from Khalistani factions to AAP.
Former AAP worker Dr. Munish Kumar Raizada shared images of Kejriwal's meeting with Khalistani leaders on social media. Kejriwal is currently in judicial custody at Delhi's Tihar Jail since April 1 in connection with a money laundering case related to Delhi's liquor policy, following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21.
Bharadwaj accused the BJP of hatching a political conspiracy, alleging that the party feared defeat in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Delhi. He claimed that the Lt Governor was acting as an agent of the BJP and orchestrating the conspiracy against Arvind Kejriwal.
According to Bharadwaj, the BJP was panicking over the possibility of losing all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. He further alleged that the BJP had devised the conspiracy ahead of the 2022 Punjab assembly polls. Polling is scheduled to take place in Delhi on May 25.
Image source: India Today
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