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AAP received 130 crore funds in five years

HIndustan Times | By, New Delhi
Nov 28, 2017 11:24 PM IST

On November 26, the foundation day of the party, AAP received Rs 6.2 lakh from 617 donors. This amount is almost double the donations the party received on November 25 (2.95 lakh) and November 27 (2.80 lakh).

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has received Rs 130.6 crore in donations to date since it was founded in 2012, a leader in-charge of party’s finances told Hindustan Times. These donations include contributions above Rs 20,000, which political parties have to share with the Election Commission.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has received Rs 130.6 crore in donations to date since it was founded in 2012.(PTI)
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has received Rs 130.6 crore in donations to date since it was founded in 2012.(PTI)

The donations to the party, which had stormed to power in the national Capital on the promise of ensuring probity and transparency in governance and fighting corruption, were in the news after the Income Tax department slapped a R30-crore notice on it for allegedly violating norms on collecting donations in 2014-15, including “hawala entries” worth Rs 2 crore.

Although the I-T department pegged the donations received by the Arvind Kejriwal-led party in the same year at Rs 68.44 crore, the party claimed it had received Rs 54.14 crore.

“Every single penny that we have received from our supporters, from Rs 10 to the ones exceeding Rs 20,000, is accounted for,” said one of the party’s founders and Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday.

Rules under the Representation of People Act mandate that all political parties have to submit the details of donations above Rs 20,000 before the Election Commission, besides keeping details of lower amounts as well. The donations are exempted from tax. In 2014-15, AAP said it had submitted details of one lakh entries amounting to Rs 37 crore as ‘Contribution Reports’ before the election watchdog.

The party, which has a committed group of around 400 donors who contribute monthly, gets donations online and through cheque daily. The party stopped receiving cash donations in July this year. The party’s annual donations were highest in the 2014-15 as both Delhi assembly elections and general elections were held in this period.

In October, AAP received Rs 18 lakh within hours of its national convener, Arvind Kejriwal issuing an appeal for donations “to help keep the idea of a clean alternate politics alive”, raking in more in a day than it had in over a fortnight since the beginning of October. Between October 17 and November 28 (3pm), the party has collected Rs 99 lakh till Tuesday.

On November 26, the foundation day of the party, AAP received Rs 6.2 lakh from 617 donors. This amount is almost double the donations the party received on November 25 (2.95 lakh) and November 27 (2.80 lakh).

“According to an ADR report, 80% of political funding of the BJP and the Congress is from unknown sources. They do not get notices. But unfortunately, the donations made by the common man to AAP, which adopts transparent means is being harassed by sending I-T notices,” senior party leader Ashutosh said.

According to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), between 2004-05 and 2014-15, the Congress received 83% of its total funds and the BJP 65% of its funds from anonymous sources.

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