AAP’s anti-Bharat stand exposed; party received USD 16 million from Khalistani groups to release Devender Pal Bhullar

Khalistani separatist leader and chief of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received USD 16million (approximately Rs 133.54 crore) from Khalistani groups between 2014 and 2022. Pannun further claimed that in 2014, the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal proposed releasing convicted terrorist Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar in exchange of for financial support.

 

Bhullar was involved in the 1993 Delhi Bomb blast which resulted in the killing of nine individuals and injuries to 31 others. Pannun, an Indian origin individual, holding dual citizenship in the US and Canada made these assertions in a video and that surfaced on social media on March 25, 2024. He is a Khalistani movement activist and leader of the Sikhs for Justice.

 

Pannun alleged that in 2014, the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and pro-Khalistani Sikhs held a meeting a Gurudwara in Richmond Hill, New York, where Kejriwal reportedly promised to facilitate Bhullars release in return for financial aid. This is not the first time when Pannun has accused Kejriwal and his party of receiving funds from Khalistani groups.

Earlier in January, he stated that both Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accepted USD six million in donations from Khalistani supporters in the US and Canada. Pannun had cautioned Kejriwal and Mann, hinting the potential consequences if the Sikhs for Justice leaders’ associates were not released by February.

This letter was sent by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to Iqbal Singh

 

He had released the warning after the arrests of Jagdish Singh, Manjeet Singh, and Davinder Singh by the State Special Operation Cell of the Punjab Police, all residents of Rajpura. In a separate development, the Kejriwal had been arrested in the alleged liquor scam and is presently under custody after being apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Despite his plea for protection from arrest, the Delhi High Court turned down his request, resulting in his continued detention by the ED until March 28, 2024. AAP has decided that he will continue to serve as the Chief Minister even while he is under custody. The party has announced the launch of Mai Bhi Kejriwal campaign as it charts its course of action for the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls with its convenor unable to campaign.

Sources within the ED have claimed that Kejriwal’s phone used during the excise scam has gone missing, while the agency has reportedly made it clear in its order that the AAP leader would not be provided a computer or paper while in jail.

Opposition leaders have decried the arrest, with some claiming that Kejriwal was put behind bars to draw attention away from the electoral bonds data which the Election Commission of India (ECI) had made public on March 21, 2024. The data furnished by the State Bank of India (SBI) after a rap from the Supreme Court shows the BJP as the biggest beneficiary of the scheme that faced criticism initially from its opacity.