Ahead of the Delhi elections scheduled for December 4, the Centre on Monday stirred a new debate by ordering a probe into the sources of funding of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). AAP had recently publicised its revenues and said it collected Rs 19 crore from about 63,000 people.
Posing a challenge to the AAP’s claims that its funding pattern was transparent, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told reporters here that he had received a number of complaints against the AAP’s sources of money. He said his Ministry was investigating the matter. “Complaints have come to me. We are probing the matter. From where are the funds coming, from which country, what is the source etc., we are trying to find out all these,” Shinde said.
Meanwhile, AAP welcomed the Home Minister’s statement, but challenged the Centre to probe the source of funds of six national parties. Earlier, it had said that though foreigners had offered donation to the party, it had declined to accept it.
jigeesh.am@thehindu.co.in