Amid Aam Aadmi Party's faceoff with BJP over Arvind Kejriwal's arrest and Swati Maliwal's assault charges, the Enforcement Directorate has now accused the party of violating forex laws. As per the charges issued by ED, AAP has been accused of receiving illegal funds from foreign donors across the globe worth Rs 7 crore.
ED has alleged that Aam Aadmi Party has received a total of Rs 7.08 crore as foreign funds from 2014 to 2022. As per the probe agency, this in violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), the Representation of People Act (RPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
As per the report sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the agency has stated that AAP has received funds from donors in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Oman. This report also comes ahead of phase six of the Lok Sabha Elections, during which Delhi is scheduled to vote.
Hitting back at the charges, AAP Minister Atishi has accused the BJP of "orchestrating political attacks via the federal agency".
"After the failure of the liquor scam and the Swati Maliwal case, now the BJP has brought this case (back)... this clear shows BJP is losing the twenty seats of Delhi and Punjab. (But) all this is not going to work. This is not the ED's action... but the BJP. I know I am very angry with Modi," stated Atishi.
The Delhi minister added that ED's charges against AAP are all part of a "conspiracy by Modi" to defame the party.
"BJP does this before every election... many such false allegations will be made over the next four days (before Delhi's seven Lok Sabha seats vote, all of which were won by the BJP last time)," she said.
Despite the charges put forth by ED, this is not the first time AAP has been accused of receiving foreign funds.
In 2013, during the Congress-led UPA government, AAP has been linked to foreign funding. In the same year, BJP and Congress had also been accused of receiving tens of crores in funds through Indian subsidiaries of foreign companies.
