AAP asks BJP, Congress to disclose source of unaccounted donations

AAP national treasurer Raghav Chadha on Sunday wrote to his Congress and BJP counterparts asking them to disclose the source of unaccounted donations received by them.

Chadha, in his letters to Congress national treasurer Motilal Vora and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national treasurer Piyush Goyal, said the government's move to exempt demonetised currency deposited in banks by political parties raises questions about the actual intention behind the note-ban.

He urged them to express their willingness to get their party account details of the last five years probed by an independent panel.

"Political parties don't give account of the donations received by them. I request you to make public the details of all the donations received by your party.

"Also make public the names of those who gave donations below Rs 20,000," he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader further said that most of the donations received by the Congress and the BJP comes from undisclosed sources and asked them to make their details public as well.

He also asked both BJP and Congress to come clean on the amount of money they deposited in bank accounts in Rs 500 and 1000 notes after the November 8 demonetisation announcement.

"Political parties have become machines to convert black money into white. The amount of black money that the political parties have, I don't feel that much black money could be found anywhere else.

"AAP has always been accountable for every single penny received as donations by giving all details to Income Tax Department. Are other parties ready to do that?" Chadha asked.

He added if the BJP and Congress were serious about corruption and black money, then they should come clean about their donations as the "public had every right to know the truth".

"If you do not accept our demands, then public will have no choice but to believe that you and your party are not only standing with the corrupt and black money hoarders, but are actually partnering with them," he wrote.

--IANS

vv/vd