Grappling with the acute dearth of funds ahead of the Lok-Sabha elections due next year, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the common people and volunteers to donate to the party’s coffers, as a return for the concessions and subsidies, provided to the “Aam Aadmi” by AAP dispensation.
Kejriwal said the AAP Government was able to invest in public welfare activities and infrastructure including that of schools, hospitals etc. as his Government doesn’t believe in the system of taking “commission” from the contractors for filling party coffers. While alleging that other Governments like the BJP in the Centre and other State Government’s take more than 10 per cent as commission and collect it in their party funds and do not invest it in public welfare activities.
Kejriwal asked people to take a pledge to donate as per their capacity and even asked people to donate Rs 100 per month for the party fund. He reiterated his claim that AAP Government is the most honest Government among all and even compared his Government with the Government under former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in the level of honesty and transparency.
In the programme “AAP ka Daan, Rashtra ka Nirman” at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi, Kejriwal said that every month his family members including his father, wife and daughter would donate Rs 500 and Rs 5000 respectively while he himself pledge to contribute Rs 10000 per month to the party’s fund. He assured that whatever amount the people will donate in the party fund, the party will invest it in “nation building” or “Rashtra-Nirman”.
In order to raise funds the AAP has started #KejriwalCalls4Donation campaign on twitter. People willing to contribute to the AAP fund can also visit http://myaap.in/donate
According to political pundits, the fund raising exercise by the AAP and Arvind Kejriwal is not only for filling the party’s coffers but is also perceived as party’s bid to make common people connected with it as the party’s Connvenor himself emphasized that every penny counts and even a donation of Rs 100 from common men is important. Ahead of Lok-Sabha elections the AAP fund raising exercise is its attempt to connect with masses and also impress upon the people that AAP practices transparency in its funding system. The donations by the people are accounted for and each and every money is utilized to reach out to the last man.