Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday described the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as an 'ED party,' alleging that the saffron party received 93% of Punjab's political donations as businessmen were being 'openly threatened by ED and CBI.' Taking to X, Kejriwal alleged systemic 'extortion' of local businesses through central investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Kejriwal's Allegations on Donations
Kejriwal noted that the BJP won only two of the total 117 assembly seats in Punjab's 2022 elections. 'And look at how much donation they have received from Punjab. 93% of the total donations. How? It is worth thinking about: why is someone giving them so much donation? In the guise of donations, there is outright extortion going on. Punjabis will never tolerate such a shock. The ED party hasn't learnt any lesson even from the farmers' movement,' he said.
Election Commission Data
Kejriwal shared screenshots citing the Election Commission's data for donations for the 2024-25 financial year. According to the data, parties received a total of Rs 64.74 crore from Punjab. The BJP bagged the lion's share of Rs 60.3 crore. The Indian National Congress received Rs 3.73 crore, while the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, which is the incumbent in Punjab, received Rs 71 lakh.
Kejriwal's comments come amid ongoing political rivalry between the AAP and BJP, with the former accusing the central government of misusing investigative agencies against opposition leaders. The BJP has denied these allegations, calling them baseless.
