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Lok Sabha elections 2019: Dad paid Rs6 crore for West Delhi ticket, claims Balbir Jakhar’s son
In a press conference Saturday, Uday Jakhar alleged that Balbir Singh Jakhar paid AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and political affairs committee member Gopal Rai ₹6 crore for the Lok Sabha ticket.
On the eve of polling in Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s West Delhi candidate Balbir Singh Jakhar was in the eye of a controversy after his son alleged that Jakhar paid ₹6 crore to the party to get his Lok Sabha ticket. The claim was refuted by Jakhar and the AAP, which said it was a “vicious conspiracy” to dent Jakhar’s prospects.
In a press conference Saturday, Uday Jakhar alleged that Balbir Singh Jakhar paid AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and political affairs committee member Gopal Rai ₹6 crore for the Lok Sabha ticket.
“He (Jakhar) joined politics three months ago. He talked to me and said he was receiving a ticket from AAP for ₹6 crore that he would give Kejriwal and Rai. This money was directly given to Kejriwal,” Uday said at a restaurant in Connaught Place.
Jakhar denied the allegation and said he is not in touch with his son. “I think he was born in 2001 and since then, he has been living with his maternal grandparents. Moreover, his mother got his custody when she and I divorced in 2009. He contacts me only once in two or three months when he needs something,” he said.
Jakhar also said the AAP had declared him the West Delhi candidate in April. “The last time I spoke to Uday was in December. So, the allegation is baseless,” he said.
Uday claimed he had “credible evidence” and that he had chosen to come out with the information because of his “conscience”. However, till Saturday evening, he did not produce any evidence. Uday said his father had no prior association with the AAP or the Anna Hazare movement .
“An amateur politician getting a ticket was surprising at first...When I asked my father for assistance to pay for my education, he refused as he wanted to invest that money into his political future,” Uday claimed.
Uday also alleged that Jakhar was willing to use the money to pay the bail of 1984 anti-Sikh riot convicts Yashpal Singh and Congress leader Sajjan Kumar. Singh was handed capital punishment while Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment for their roles in the violence. “He was willing to bail them out, he was ready to fight for them and he personally told me all this,” Uday claimed.
Sajjan Kumar is presently in jail, and his brother Ramesh was unavailable for comment.
AAP national spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said the allegation was “a new trick” of the Opposition to dent the AAP’s performance in Lok Sabha elections.
“Now when opposition parties are sensing their defeat, they are resorting to such tricks,” Bhardwaj said.
Congress’ Mahabal Mishra, who is contesting against Jakhar, said, “A party that came on the sole promise of removing corruption is now accused of selling tickets. This allegation is serious as his own son is making them.”
BJP MLA from Rohini Vijender Gupta said, “Why is Kejriwal mum on these issues when he tweets even on all issues? Will Jakhar’s own son lie? We will believe his son as the party did the same thing during the Rajya Sabha elections,” he said.
The Delhi chief electoral officer Saturday directed the police to act against Jakhar for holding a press conference .
Minutes before Jakhar started his briefing, three policemen entered the office and objected to the event saying they cannot hold a press conference during the 48-hour campaign prohibition period. Jakhar and AAP workers did not pay heed to the policemen and began the press briefing.
