AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday alleged that 58 businesses were registered at the address of the party’s national office in New Delhi between July 19 and September 15, calling it part of a plan to defame the party ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly elections.
Addressing a press conference, Bharadwaj claimed the registrations were made under the watch of a Central government department and were intended to create a narrative that the AAP was operating shell companies and receiving money from drug traffickers. He demanded an investigation into how the registrations were approved at the address of 1, Canning Lane, which he described as a government bungalow.
Bharadwaj said GST registration generally requires Aadhaar OTP authentication and documents related to ownership or tenancy of the business premises. He also said a photograph of the business board at the stated place of business may be required. He questioned how 58 registrations could have been completed using the AAP office address.
According to Bharadwaj, the registrations include businesses listed under different names, with some showing import-export as their stated activity. He cited one registration with GST number 07AHKPC920F3ZJ, with Vikas Chaudhary as the legal name and Priyanka as the trade name.
The AAP leader linked his allegations to previous election-related controversies involving the party. He referred to allegations before the 2022 Punjab elections that the AAP had received funding from Khalistanis, and to accusations during the Delhi elections concerning an alleged liquor scam. Bharadwaj claimed those allegations did not result in the outcomes he described.
{{/usCountry}}The AAP leader linked his allegations to previous election-related controversies involving the party. He referred to allegations before the 2022 Punjab elections that the AAP had received funding from Khalistanis, and to accusations during the Delhi elections concerning an alleged liquor scam. Bharadwaj claimed those allegations did not result in the outcomes he described.
{{/usCountry}}He said AAP had submitted a complaint on September 19 to the Principal Chief Commissioner of GST, the Commissioner of Trade and Taxes and the New Delhi Police Commissioner. Bharadwaj said the party had not received a response so far.
The allegations about the registrations and their purpose were made by Bharadwaj and were not independently established in the statement. He called for authorities to identify those responsible, examine the registration process and determine which officials conducted any verification.