Punjab Congress on Wednesday demanded a high-level probe by a Central investigative agency into serious charges of drug abuse, corruption and international crimes against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other leaders of his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh also urged the Election Commission to take note of the allegations against AAP and its leaders, and bar them from contesting the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls.
Reacting to the latest controversy to hit AAP in the form of grave allegations levelled against party leaders, including Kejriwal, Captain Amarinder pointed at the “complete disillusionment of AAP leaders and workers against Kejriwal’s leadership not just in Punjab but also in other States, including Goa, which is also headed for polls”.
A total of 35 AAP workers, led by party zonal in-charge Zira on Wednesday issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Kejriwal to release details of funds collected in Punjab, with expenditure.
Alleging that 59 of the candidates so far given tickets by the party for Punjab polls were tainted, they demanded replacement of the candidates, while also seeking withdrawal from Punjab of the Delhi team led by Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak.
Taking serious note of these allegations, Capt Amarinder said that it was clear that the mess in AAP was deep-rooted, with Kejriwal himself an integral part of it. Such elements, he said, could not be allowed to vitiate the poll atmosphere in Punjab.
Capt Amarinder also referred to the open letter to Kejriwal by AAP coordinator NRI Wing and Fund-Raising (Hoshiarpur) Virendra Singh Parihar, who said that a whopping Rs 200 crore had been collected in Punjab, mostly in the form of illicit cash, with Rs two crore taken per constituency by the party leaders.