PROBE ‘FUNDING OF AAP BY RADICALS’: SUKHBIR

CHANDIGARH: Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has asked Union home minister Rajnath Singh to investigate the funding of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) by extremist elements living abroad, stating that it was being done with the sole aim of destabilising Punjab before the 2017 assembly elections.

In a letter to Rajnath, Sukhbir, who also holds the Home portfolio, requested him to launch an immediate investigation into the huge amount of money being received by AAP from radical elements living in North America, Europe and Australia. He said a thorough investigation of the money trail would unravel and expose those who were trying to disturb the peace in Punjab through incidents of sacrilege and violence.

Sukhbir said AAP national convenor and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had virtually revived the radical groups who had been completely marginalised in Punjab by initiating a dialogue with them.

“According to our information, an understanding was reached that AAP would hand over the SGPC to the radical Sikhs in lieu of support from them to win the next assembly elections,” Sukhbir claimed.

He said AAP Delhi MLA Naresh Yadav was arrested for master-minding the Malerkotla sacrilege. He said the intelligence inputs reveal radical elements are behind amny sacrilege incidents in Punjab. The deputy CM said he had conveyed the information to national security adviser Ajit Doval earlier.