New Delhi: The Congress has hit out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for appealing to the public to donate money to help run the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
“No prime minister, chief minister, or elected person holding a constitutional office in India has ever appealed for collection of money for his party. It's an insult to constitutional office he (Kejriwal) holds, it’s neither correct nor appropriate,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.
“Mr. Kejriwal should give a full account of money his party collected, to people of country before proceeding on such a misadventure,” he added.
Arvind Kejriwal today claimed that AAP had run out of cash and appealed to the public to pitch in with money to help run the party's daily expenses, indicating that its donations had taken a major hit.
Kejriwal justified his public appeal saying that AAP does not intend to fill its coffers adopting "wrong means" and would like to be steadfast in its vow to practise honest politics.
"After government formation (in Delhi) whatever cash the party had is over. We need money to run the party, for its day to day expenses.
You may say he's a strange CM. Asking for money even after becoming the CM. But this is the difference. If I had to earn money using wrong means I could have and there was no need to appeal. But I don't intend to take that route of corruption," Kejriwal said.
Incidentally, the AAP faced charges of accepting funds from dubious sources during the heated electoral campaign earlier this year.
"The public funded us, we never took any money under the table. We gave a record of every rupee we got," he said.
Kejriwal urged people to chip in even if the amount is as low as Rs 10. "Give us because even your Rs 10 would help us practise honest politics."
With agency inputs
