On the eve of polling in the Capital, Uday Jakhar, son of the AAP’s West Delhi candidate Balbir Singh Jakhar, claimed that his father paid ₹6 crore to AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to contest the Lok Sabha election on an AAP ticket.
Mr. Balbir Singh Jakhar denied the charge and contended that his son was “lying” and that the two had estranged ties. Mr. Uday Jakhar claimed he had “credible evidence” to support his allegations and that he had chosen to speak out because of his “conscience”. “An amateur politician getting a ticket was surprising at first. I brought it upon my conscience to question this. When I asked my father for assistance to pay for my education, he was unable to do so. He resisted and said he was going to use the money for his own political benefit,” he claimed. He also alleged that his father was willing to pay the bail money for Yashpal Singh and Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, both convicts in cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Terming the allegations made by his son as baseless, Mr. Balbir Singh Jakhar said that he and his former wife had divorced in 2009. “Uday’s birth happened in his grandfather’s house and he has never been with me since childhood,” he said.
Deputy CM Manish Sisodia questioned the timing of the ‘revelation’ and said it was a ploy by the BJP.
“Ten hours before the polls, a press conference is done by someone...This is being done so that a headline can be run ‘AAP’s ticket for six crore?’ So that this headline can be given, the BJP has used the opportunity. The candidate is saying he did not buy any ticket and the party is saying they have not sold any ticket,” Mr. Sisodia said.
Meanwhile, the BJP sought an explanation from the AAP convener on the matter. “It is a very serious allegation and a response must be given by Kejriwal. On Jakhar’s support to anti-Sikh riots convicts, Kejriwal should also respond to it. The AAP’s corruption has been exposed and its true character has been revealed,” senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said at a press conference.
As Mr. Jakhar’s press conference was about to commence, three policemen entered the AAP headquarters at ITO and told AAP functionaries to stop the event, but they did not pay heed. After this, the cops tried to videorecord the proceedings but they were not allowed inside and the door was shut.
A senior police officer said they came to know about the press conference, following which they went to the premises to caution AAP functionaries that they cannot hold a press conference during the 48-hour silence period prior to polling as it is a violation of the model code of conduct.
