‘58 shell companies registered at AAP office’: Saurabh Bharadwaj alleges BJP conspiracy ahead of polls | Delhi News

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday alleged a “conspiracy” to defame it after 58 unknown companies were registered at the address of its national headquarters in New Delhi.AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj said the companies were registered at the party’s headquarters at 1, Canning Lane, New Delhi, between July and September this year.He said the party had sent a formal complaint to the principal commissioner GST and Delhi Police seeking an investigation into the registrations, news agency PTI reported.“This was planned by the BJP so that before the elections, the BJP could have planted this news and run a campaign against us, that AAP runs several shell companies through which it receives donations,” Bharadwaj said at a press conference.He said the registrations had been carried out after Aadhaar verification and questioned how multiple businesses could be registered using the address of the AAP’s national office.“How were these 58 businesses registered at the address of the Aam Aadmi Party’s national office? This is our question directly to the central government,” he said.Bharadwaj alleged that the development was part of a larger attempt to build allegations against the AAP ahead of elections.

Bharadwaj cites past allegations against AAP

Bharadwaj also referred to allegations made against the AAP before earlier elections and claimed they were part of attempts to damage the party’s image.“Before the Delhi elections, the Aam Aadmi Party was subjected to a series of false allegations every day,” he said, referring to the allegations surrounding the Delhi excise policy case.He also referred to allegations made before the 2022 Punjab elections that the AAP had received funding from Khalistani elements, PTI reported.Bharadwaj claimed that these allegations did not ultimately result in the cases he said had been projected before the elections.He alleged that a similar campaign could be launched ahead of the 2027 elections, saying the BJP government could portray the AAP as being involved in illegal activities through shell companies.“I believe that before the 2027 Punjab elections, sometime in December or January, the BJP government would plant this news everywhere: that the Aam Aadmi Party was running a drug trafficking operation with crores of rupees, that hundreds of shell companies were involved, and so on,” Bharadwaj alleged.He further alleged that the issue could then be used to raise questions about the companies, their owners and the source and movement of funds.

AAP seeks probe into registrations

Bharadwaj said the party had submitted complaints to the principal chief commissioner GST, the commissioner of the Department of Trade and Taxes and the commissioner of police, New Delhi, PTI reported.He also questioned how the registrations could have been completed if Aadhaar verification was mandatory.“Does this mean that today a central government has fallen so low that just to defeat a party in elections, they will spread any lie before that?” he said.

The AAP has sought an investigation into how the 58 companies were registered at its headquarters address and who was behind the registrations.The allegations made by Bharadwaj could not be independently verified.(With agency inputs)