In a video released by Gurpawant Singh Pannun- a Khalistani terrorist and founder of terror organisation Sikhs for Justice(SJF)- it is claimed that Khalistani groups operating from Western countries gave Aam Aadmi Party around 16 million USD of funding for contesting the 2015 Delhi assembly elections. In his video, Pannun shared a photo of Arvind Kejriwal in which I am sitting next to him. That particular photo was taken in Richmond Hill Gurudwara in New York during Arvind Kejriwal’s US visit on Dec 7, 2014. In this article, I will give a detailed account of Arvind Kejriwal’s US Visit and his private meetings.
But first, let me introduce myself. I am Dr Munish Kumar Raizada. I completed my MBBS from Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS) in Sevagram Wardha, Maharashtra. For further medical training in pediatrics, I moved to the USA in 2002. I did my pediatrics residency at Long Island Jewish Hospital in Long Island, New York and fellowship in Neonatal Perinatal Medicine from Chicago. Afterwards, I started working as a neonatologist in Chicago and settled down there.
My association with India Against Corruption Movement (IAC) and AAP
However, I was always keen on bringing policy change in India. So when Anna Aandolan started and India against corruption picked up momentum, I saw a real hope of bringing some concrete changes in India. I genuinely believe that India needs a strong anti-corruption bill to bring transparency in the system. So I decided to give my full support to the movement. I worked and supported the India Against Corruption(IAC) movement from both Chicago as well as from India. When the Aam Aadmi Party was formed, I thought the dream of bringing change to the system would finally come true. With this sentiment, I joined the Aam Aadmi Party and started contributing my bit for the nation’s development.
In the Aam Aadmi Party, I worked in different capacities. Initially, I was a ground worker and used to handle the volunteer engagement cell of AAP. During the 2014 LokSabha Election, I was appointed as a campaign manager for the AAP candidate from Chandigarh, Gul Panag. I was also a campaign in-charge of some seats of South Delhi prior to Vidhan Sabha Elections of 2015. But after the massive win of 2015 by the Aam Aadmi Party, I was given bigger responsibility in the party. I was made the co-convener of the NRI cell of the Aam Aadmi Party along with Dr Kumar Vishwas.
Arvind Kejriwal’s USA Visit
In 2014, just a few months before the Delhi assembly election, Arvind Kejriwal got an invitation from Columbia University to address the students there. So It was decided that Arvind Kejriwal would visit New York on December 7, 2024. At that time, I used to handle volunteer engagement cells and do fundraising for the party. I wanted Arvind to come to Chicago first as there was a large Indian diaspora supporting AAP and Arvind at that time. But somehow that plan did not pick up and it was decided that Arvind would come to NewYork directly.
So, on Dec 6, I flew to New York from Chicago and checked into a hotel in Downtown Manhattan and was joined by Mr Suresh Reddy, an IIT batchmate of Arvind Kejriwal and an established businessman doing business in the USA and India. Mr Reddy and I planned out the schedule of Arvind Kejriwal after he arrived in NewYork the next day. Before coming to New York, Arvind flew to Dubai on Dec 4 along with Mr Rajeev Saraf – his other IIT batchmate who used to handle the funds of AAP although he didn’t hold any official position in the party. Pankaj Gupta was the national secretary and Sanju Bhaiya was the national treasurer of the AAP at that time. In Dubai, the whole itinerary was planned by Rajeev Saraf and Mr Subrato Shah- another IIT batchmate of Arvind based in Dubai.
Subrato Shah circulated an email (I was included in it) giving details of the schedule of Arvind’s interactions in the US. The schedule included interaction with the students at Columbia University and the Fundraising Dinner. Till now, there was no mention of a visit to the local Gurudwara in New York as part of the Arvind’s schedule. This addition was made on the night of December 6 when members from the local Gurudwara community came to me with the request for Arvind’s visit to Richmond Hill Gurudwara – a local Gurudwara in New York. We bowed down to their request and it was planned that Arvind would visit the Gurudwara the next morning before leaving for Columbia.
The next morning, on Dec 7, Arvind Kejriwal along with Rajeev Saraf arrived in New York by business class. Suresh Reddy, Somu Kumar and I received them at the airport and headed directly to Richmond Gurudwara. We wanted Arvind to visit the hotel first but the Gurudwara functionaries wanted him to come directly to Gurudwara. In their words, he could take a shower there only. At the Gurudwara, Sikh leaders were excited to receive him and the response was hugely positive. A general meeting happened afterwards followed by the Ardaas in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib. Subsequently, Arvind gave a speech in front of the gathering and I was asked to formally introduce him. I was a bit surprised with Arvind’s speech. It was a political speech and I couldn’t figure out how he was allowed to give a political speech at a religious place.
Anyways, his speech was followed by a closed-door meeting between Arvind and a few top functionaries of Gurudwara. I was not part of that meeting. Once the meeting was done, we headed towards the convention center in Manhattan downtown where Arvind made another speech in front of a jostling crowd. Subsequently, at around 3 PM ET, we left for Columbia University where Students were waiting for Arvind to address them.
After reaching Columbia University, we got to know that the media is not allowed inside. So only Arvind, Sumu and I were allowed inside the hall. Arvind addressed the students present there and afterwards, we headed back to the hotel where Mr Reddy and I were staying. We rested there for a while and headed to a fundraising dinner. The event was well received and everything happened smoothly. After that, we came back to the Hotel and, as per my understanding, we were done for the day. I believed that now we don’t have any meetings to attend. We will spend the night in the hotel talking with each other.
But, at around 10 PM ET, Arvind told me he had another meeting to attend implying that I would not be the part of it. Arvind, along with others, left the Hotel to some undisclosed location and I left for my friend’s home who lives in New Jersey. The next evening, I flew back to Chicago. I have no idea where Arvind went that night and whom he met. What I do recall is that Arvind also left for India on Dec 8 itself.
2017 Punjab Assembly Election
In 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party received a massive mandate in Delhi State and the government was formed. As a party, our next big goal was to win Punjab whose election was due in 2017. After the victory in Delhi, the activities and visits of AAP leaders abroad increased. Sanjay Singh, a close confidant of Arvind Kejriwal and a Journalist who was associated with the AAP at that time visited abroad, especially Canada often.
As the Punjab election drew closer, a lot of things started happening that suggested that the Aam Aadmi Party is taking a very soft stand on Khalistani issues. There was a reluctance to criticise anti-India networks. And this hesitancy to take a firm stand against Khalistani Separatists was because of political reasons. In my web series called Transparency: Pardarshita- that offers the untold inside stories of India Against Corruption (IAC) movement and Aam Aadmi Party-, Dr Kumar Vishwas shared with me that he warned Arvind Kejriwal to not play with the sentiments of Punjab. In his(Dr Viswash) words, Punjab was not merely a state, it was an emotion(Punjab ek sooba nahi hai, ye ek emotion ka naam hain). Dr Vishwas shared that he told Arvind Kejriwal that if Punjab gets destabilised, the whole nation will suffer. Dr Vishwas said that in response to his concerns, Arvind told him to not worry about it because if he didn’t become the CM of a state, then he would become the PM of an independent country, clearly implying that Pubjab would become a separate nation.
All these incidents and anecdotes raise questions about Arvind Kejriwal’s connection with Khalistani elements. A thorough investigation is needed on the matter and all these angles need to be looked at.
(This article is written by the Bharatiya Liberal Party President, Dr Munish Kumar Raizada)
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