A Delhi businessman said on Thursday that he personally donated Rs 2 crore to the Aam Aadmi Party, challenging sacked minister Kapil Mishra’s allegation that the money came from a shell company. Mr Sharma, a property dealer and tobacco trader, said he made the donation by demand draft on March 31, 2014.

The donor’s account

Sharma said he gave the money because public support for AAP was very strong at the time and he hoped the party would do good for Delhi and the country. Asked why he had waited so long to speak, he said, “I was tired of the allegations that it was given by shell companies.”

He said tax officials had been investigating him over the donation for the past two-and-a-half years. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal re-tweeted a clip of Sharma’s television interview.

Mishra’s allegations

Mishra had alleged serious irregularities in AAP’s funding, questioned the Rs 2 crore donation and claimed that several shell companies had given money to the party with its knowledge. He was suspended from AAP the previous week after accusing Kejriwal of corruption, including a claim that he saw Kejriwal accept Rs 2 crore from another minister. He also alleged that the Chief Minister’s brother-in-law was involved in illegal land deals.

Kejriwal and AAP say Mishra was dropped for poor performance and call his charges baseless.

The hunger strike

A week earlier, Mishra began an indefinite fast demanding that Kejriwal reveal who funded foreign trips made in the last two years by five party leaders. The five named were Durgesh Pathak, Sanjay Singh, Ashish Khetan, Raghav Chadhha and Satyendar Jain. The fast ended when he fainted while addressing the media on Sunday; he was admitted to hospital and discharged on Monday.

See also: Aam Aadmi Party and political leaders

Originally published on 19 May 2017. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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