BJP seeks derecognition of AAP over tax fraud'

New Delhi: The Delhi BJP has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) about alleged irregularities in AAP’s account books. Seeking derecognisation of the AAP, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari said that there are discrepancies in its information submitted before the Income-Tax (I-T) department and the ECI.

On Tuesday, a delegation of BJP leaders, led by Mr Tiwari, went to the EC to meet election commissioners A.K. Joti and Om Prakash Rawat and submitted a letter regarding irregularities in the donation records of the AAP.

The Delhi BJP alleged that reports and a past experience about the AAP removing its donation information from its party website raises serious doubts over different figures available on the party website and those submitted before the EC and the I-T authorities during the financial years 2014-15 and 2013-14.

Mr Tiwari has requested the EC to order a thorough inquiry of the matter as prima facie it is a clear case of violation of the Representation of People Act 1951 and the Election Symbol (Allotment and Reservation) Order 1968.

“An inquiry must be ordered and if the irregularities get established against the AAP, the recognition of the party should be withdrawn by the EC,” Mr Tiwari said.

He claimed that in 2013-14, the AAP showed a donation amount of Rs 50.64 crore in the affidavit and Rs 19.82 crore on its party website, but to the EC it said that the figure stood at only Rs 6 crore.

“We wonder if this missing amount was routed in the corruption cases against the party that its own (sacked) Cabinet minister has highlighted,” he alleged.

According to Mr Tiwari, since the formation of AAP, Arvind Kejriwal tried to show that his party is better than other parties in the case of political donations.