The Aam Aadmi Party fought the Assembly elections in Delhi by dint of donations made by the public. As it faces a financial crunch now, significantly so ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year, the party has once again turned to the people to tide over the crisis.
This time, it has launched a nationwide campaign to invite donors to contribute to the party coffers on a regular basis. AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday kicked off the campaign dubbed as 'Aap Ka Daan, Rashtra Ka Nirmaan' (Your contribution for nation-building) at the Talkatora Stadium in the presence of his cabinet colleagues, MLAs from Delhi and Punjab, Rajya Sabha members and state in-charges.
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Making a plea for donation and reaching out to an audience beyond Delhi, Kejriwal said, "Of all the governments that have been formed in the history of India, our government in Delhi is the most staunchly honest one."
As part of the campaign, the party has invited its supporters to contribute on a monthly basis, with the minimum amount being Rs 100. This is expected to ensure a regular inflow of funds to the AAP, and it is hoped that this would also help the party build a base of dedicated supporters. So far, the party has been getting random donations from the public as part of its crowdsourcing efforts. This mode of funding was, in fact, the party's financial mainstay as it took on the bigwigs such as the Congress and the BJP in the assembly elections.
However, of late, there has been a dip in the funding received by the party from random donors. AAP's Delhi in-charge Gopal Rai said, “We face a financial crunch. We do not have enough funds to fight the Lok Sabha elections.”
The AAP has claimed to be different from other political parties in being completely transparent with regard to its funding, saying most of it comes in the form of donations from the public.
However, the party has found itself at the receiving end of questions with regard to its funding. The launch of the latest crowdsourcing campaign comes in the backdrop of the Election Commission having recently served the party a showcause notice over alleged irregularities in the declaration made by it to the poll body on its election funding. The EC has raised questions about alleged concealment of donations, money coming through the hawala route, and incorrect disclosures of funds. The AAP says the commission's move is evidence of its “bias” against the party.
In May 2017, the Union home ministry had sent a notice to the AAP, seeking its response on a 2013 complaint accusing the party of having received foreign funding. The AAP had termed the notice a witch-hunt by the Narendra Modi government.
