BJP got funds from Delhi excise case accused, alleges AAP

AAP leaders said Sarath Chandra Reddy gave ₹55 crore to the BJP through electoral bonds and demanded the arrest of BJP national president JP Nadda

Two days after chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested in the excise case, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, including Delhi minister Atishi, on Saturday alleged that one of the prime witnesses in the case gave ₹55 crore to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) through electoral bonds and demanded the arrest of BJP national president JP Nadda in this connection.

AAP leaders Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi at a press conference in New Delhi on Saturday. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

“The arrest of Kejriwal is based on the statement of just one person. This individual is Sarath Chandra Reddy, the owner of a well-known pharmaceutical company, Aurobindo Pharma. His other significant companies are APL Healthcare and Ugea Pharma. He also obtained some liquor shops in certain zones of Delhi under the Delhi liquor policy. Reddy was called in for questioning on November 9, 2022. He clearly stated that he had never met or spoken to Kejriwal and is not in any way related to the AAP. He was arrested the next day by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). After spending a few months in jail, he changed his statement and claimed that he met Kejriwal and even discussed the liquor policy with him. After changing his statement, he was granted bail,” Atishi said at a press conference at the party’s headquarters. Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, senior leader Jasmine Shah and party chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar were also present at the conference.

At the press meet, the AAP leaders showed electoral data documents, which contained the name of the purchaser of the bond, denominations, date of purchase, and other details, and claimed that Reddy’s three companies funnelled nearly ₹60 crore into the BJP accounts.

The Election Commission of India on Thursday uploaded the electoral bond data on its website with the latest details submitted by the State Bank of India. While the latest donor list includes the name of the purchaser of the bond, its denomination, and specific number, the recipient list has the name of the party that encashed it, the last four digits of the bank account number of political parties that redeemed the bond and the denomination and the unique number of the bond encashed.

ED on Friday got six-day remand of Kejriwal a day after the agency arrested him on Thursday for his alleged role in the irregularities in the now-scrapped 2021-22 Delhi excise policy. The arrest came after the Delhi high court turned down Kejriwal’s plea for interim protection.

“Reddy purchased electoral bonds worth ₹4.5 crore while the excise policy was being formulated, and after his arrest, he purchased electoral bonds worth ₹55 crore and the money went to the BJP. So, ED should make the BJP a party in the case and arrest Nadda. For the first time, an official money trail has come to light in a liquor policy case, and this money trail has gone directly from liquor traders to the BJP’s bank accounts,” Atishi said.

Bharadwaj said ED had called Reddy the kingpin of the excise scam and the biggest beneficiary. “In January 2023, Reddy had said pressure is being exerted on him by ED to give a pre-dictated statement. In April, Reddy said he gave ₹100 crore. In May, he filed a bail application saying he is facing a lot of back pain and ED did not oppose the bail application. As soon as the bail was granted to Reddy, he became a government approver. It means he sought refuge in the government. As whoever seeks refuge has to offer something in return,” said Bharadwaj.

“Reddy becomes an approver in November 2023. The government already knew that he is accused of money laundering, still the BJP took ₹50 crore through electoral bonds Reddy’s companies,” said Bharadwaj.

“In this case, as the money trail is directly going to the BJP and the proceeds of crime are directly reaching the BJP, therefore, the BJP should be made the accused in this case. We appeal to ED to interrogate Nadda, and if he does not cooperate in the interrogation, he should also be arrested and made an accused,” Bharadwaj said.

“The BJP never thought that this information would ever come to light,” Bharadwaj said.

“Till now the case was based only on statements. The proof showed that the money from the ‘South Group’ went into the bank accounts of the BJP. The party should be made an accused in the excise policy and the national president of the BJP should be immediately arrested,” Atishi said.

HT reached out to several BJP leaders, but did not get any response on request for comment.