Rebel Kapil Mishra fires graft salvo at AAP, faints

New Delhi: Ousted Delhi minister Kapil Mishra on Sunday claimed that chief minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lied about its donation figures to the Election Commission. He threatened that if Mr Kejriwal doesn’t step down by the evening, he would “drag him by the collar” to Tihar Jail.

But amid detailing a huge array of financial irregularities against Mr Kejriwal at the Sunday press conference at his Civil Lines residence, Mr Mishra fainted. The suspended AAP member was rushed to the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital.

Mr Mishra has been on a hungerstrike for the last five days, demanding that the AAP release details of foreign tours made by five its leaders. He was suffering from “a little weakness and mild dehydration” because of no salt intake for the last few days, an RML doctor said.

Before taking ill, the rebel AAP leader alleged that the party received funds worth “crores of rupees” from several “shell” companies. Mr Kejriwal hid this information from income tax department and the election commission, Mr Mishra said at the Sunday morning news conference, where he had promised to reveal “shocking details” of corruption and scam.

AAP leaders close to Mr Kejriwal are involved in running these shell companies and Mr Kejriwal is aware of all this, he alleged. The registered addresses of four directors out of 16 shell companies, which allegedly donated to AAP, are the same, Mr Mishra claimed. AAP MLA Shiv Charan Goyal is closely involved in running these companies, he alleged.

The income tax department has sent notice to the AAP chief in connection with the four companies he holds fraudulently, he alleged. “But he actually has hundreds of companies which he holds illegally. Lakhs and crores are in each of these company accounts,” the sacked Delhi minister said. The alleged money laundering was carried out through a Krishna Nagar branch of Axis Bank in East Delhi, where raids had been conducted after demonetisation, he said.

Showing what he said were bank account details, Mr Mishra said he will document to the Central Bureau of Investigation at 11 am on Monday and file an FIR against Mr Kejriwal.

He claimed that many donations were concealed from the Election Commission from 2013 to 2016.

Late on Sunday night, a team of doctors from RML hospital had examined Mr Mishra and said his blood sugar level, pulse rate and blood pressure were normal. The doctors had also advised that he be hospitalised, but the rebel AAP leader carried on with his hungerstrike.

Ater his sacking from Mr Kejriwal’s city Cabinet more than a week ago, Mr Mishra had made a sensational allegation, saying he witnessed Mr Kejriwal take Rs 2 crore in cash from health minister Satyendar Jain at his residence.