The ruling Shiromani Aakli Dal (SAD) on Thursday urged the Chief Election Commissioner to order a formal summary probe through some independent agency into the series of allegation against top Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership for having collected crores or rupees from Punjab and the NRIs.
“Such serious allegations are hurled not by rivals but AAP volunteers holding high status and positions in the party,” pointed SAD MPs Balwinder Singh Bhunder and Prem Singh Chandumajra, in a joint statement.
“Three estranged senior AAP leaders have recently made sensational revelations back-to-back. Yesterday, it was Virender Parihar, former zonal in-charge Hoshiarpur NRI wing and fund raiser who alleged that AAP had collected Rs 200 crore by conservative estimates from ticket aspirants and more from abroad which do not reflect in party accounts,” he said.
Earlier, it was vice president (Dalit Wing) Tarsem Singh Gadhok too had made the same allegation that he was denied ticket as he failed to deposit Rs one crore, and today, it was Harjit Singh Adalatiwala, who contested by-election as AAP nominee from Patiala in 2014, reiterated the same allegation of sale of tickets, they said.
Akali leaders said that Earlier too, party candidate from Bhoa (Pathankot) had alleged that he was replaced a candidate as he failed to meet the financial demands of the party bosses.
They said that these allegations can’t be simply dismissed as “internal or intra-party affair” and the Election Commission of India (ECI) is well within its right to probe unsavoury and unprecedented trend in politics.
“Taking money for tickets is punishable under law but charging money and then denying ticket is worse and such trend must be nipped in the bud to ensure probity in political life,” they added.