Arvind kejriwal facing new allegations: "Khalistani funding"?

Another setback for the jailed AAP leader ahead of the general elections comes from delhi Lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena's recommendation to launch an NIA investigation into chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's purported receipt of cash from pro-Khalistani organizations. Saxena sent the ministry of home affairs a complaint from a person named Ashoo Mongia, requesting a full probe into accusations made against the chief minister of delhi and his aam aadmi party (AAP). The L-G secretariat wrote a letter to the Union home ministry citing the complaint received from Mongia, national general secretary of the World Hindu Federation, India, which claims that the AAP got significant funds from radical Khalistani groups, including the outlawed "Sikhs for Justice."

What does Arvind Kejriwal's "Khalistani funding" accusation mean?

In the letter, the complaint makes reference to a video that allegedly shows Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of Sikhs for Justice, and alleges that between 2014 and 2022, AAP received an astounding $16 million in funding from Khalistani organizations. It further claims that arvind kejriwal was present at a covert gathering of pro-Khalistani Sikhs in 2014 at Gurudwara Richmond Hills in New York. In exchange for financial assistance from Khalistani factions to the AAP, kejriwal purportedly promised to broker the release of imprisoned militant Devender Pal Bhullar during this meeting.

AAP leader arvind kejriwal is accused of saying in a letter to Iqbal Singh that his administration is "sympathetic to the issue and would take all necessary steps to ensure full justice" in the case.

"The letter also states that the delhi Government has already advised the President to release professor Bhullar and that they will be addressing other matters such as the creation of a SIT, among other things," Saxena wrote.  According to press sources at the time, Iqbal Singh was at Jantar Mantar fasting and asking for a written guarantee that Bhullar would be released. After getting the letter from kejriwal, he broke the fast," he continued.

The lawsuit also mentions some older social media posts on X from a former employee of the AAP, who in 2014 tweeted a photo of kejriwal at Richmond Hill Gurudwara with Sikh leaders. According to the complainant, Dr. Munish Kumar Raizada's tweets implied that kejriwal had private conversations at the Gurudwara with pro-Khalistani Sikh leaders in addition to public gatherings.