Who is Kapil Mishra and why his allegations against Kejriwal will affect AAP’s ‘anti-corruption’ image? [Opinion]
Kapil Mishra has levelled serious corruption charges against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain.
It seems that the problems for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its chief Arvind Kejriwal aren’t going to end any time soon. Just when the party was trying to recover from the recent MCD poll debacle and convincing Kumar Vishwas to stay in the party, former Delhi water resources minister Kapil Mishra levelled serious corruption charges against Kejriwal and Health Minister Satyendar Jain.
Following the allegations, a huge controversy erupted in the political circles of Delhi, with Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party launching scathing attacks on the Delhi CM. Both the opposition parties demanded Kejriwal to resign immediately on moral grounds.
Mishra claims that he has been sacked because he told Kejriwal that he’ll take the issue of bribe to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, however, the party claims that he has been relieved off his duties due to his ‘poor performance’.
Who is Kapil Mishra?
- He is a legislator in the Delhi Assembly representing Karawal Nagar constituency. According to the Delhi government website, he has worked with organisations like Greenpeace and Amnesty International in the past.
- Kapil Mishra came close to Arvind Kejriwal due to his anti-graft movement during commonwealth games, when it was alleged that largescale corruption took place in holding the mega-sporting event. Kapil Mishra was involved in exposing several issues related to violation of labour laws at the Games sites.
- Born on November 13, 1980, Kapil Mishra was among the founding members of the Aam Aadmi Party following the apparent failure of the anti-graft movement launched by the India Against Corruption led by social activist Anna Hazare.
- When AAP formed government in 2015 after winning an astonishing majority in Delhi, Kapil Mishra was included in the Kejriwal cabinet.
- Kapil Mishra holds a degree of Masters in Social Work from Delhi School of Social Work. He has been fighting to clean Yamuna as a social entrepreneur.
Courtesy: YouTube/Zee News
What are his allegations?
- The biggest allegation is against Arvind Kejriwal. Mishra has said: “Parson maine Satyendra Jain ji ko Rs 2 crore Arvind Kejriwal ji ko dete huye dekha tha. Main poori raat so nahi paaya (Day before yesterday, I saw Satyendra Jain give Rs 2 crore to Arvind Kejriwal. I could not sleep for the entire night).”
Also read: Is Kapil Mishra’s bribery allegation against Kejriwal the final nail in AAP’s coffin? [Opinion]
- Mishra also alleged that Jain told him that he was behind settling land deals amounting to nearly ₹50 crore for Kejriwal’s relative.
- Kapil Mishra also questioned Kejriwal’s silence and inaction despite him handing over proof of Congress leader Sheila Dikshit’s involvement in the tanker scam.
Why his charges cannot be taken lightly?
- The Aam Aadmi Party rose to power in February 2015 due to its anti-corruption stance. However, increasing corruption charges against its leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, is expected to affect the future prospects of the party.
- More than two years after forming the government, arrogance and corruption are two words that have become synonymous with the Aam Aadmi Party and Kejriwal. In such a scenario, how will the aam aadmi trust the party and vote for it in the future?
- Kejriwal is often seen levelling ‘baseless allegations’ against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is often trolled for this, however, now his own legislator has accused him of bribery, this is expected to taint the Delhi CM’s image forever.
- According to reports, the Income Tax department has claimed that companies controlled by Satyendra Jain have received Rs 16.39 crore from 56 Kolkata-based shell companies run by three hawala operators. When Kejriwal’s close aide is involved in such illegal activities, then it is hard to believe that the party and its chief really believe in curbing the menace of corruption.
- Poll debacle in Punjab, Goa and in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi along with a growing dissent against the AAP leadership had already affected the party badly, now the corruption charge may end up eroding the party’s support in Delhi too.