Kapil Mishra’s Charges Against Kejriwal Not Backed by Documents

Kapil Mishra’s allegations against Delhi CM Kejriwal have not been backed by any documentary evidence.

Kapil Mishra’s allegations against Delhi CM Kejriwal don’t stand ground when it comes to verification of facts. (Photo: Rhythum Seth/ The Quint)

Political setbacks often make people lose their balance. The greater the setback the more is the impact. Former Aam Aadmi Party minister Kapil Mishra is a case in point. He has been promising a big expose on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal almost on a daily basis, but each time his threats have turned out to be empty.

Nothing New About Rs 2 Crore ‘Bribe’

He first accused Kejriwal of accepting a Rs 2 crore 'bribe' from Health Minister Satyendra Jain in connection with a land deal. He then went to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and submitted some incriminating documents. The ACB chief MK Meena took no time in exposing Mishra.

The documents Mishra produced are photocopies of the very ones he had shared with me earlier, Meena said in a statement. These documents had nothing to do with Kejriwal and were instead related to the tanker scam dating back to Sheila Dikshit’s regime, he said.

(Infographic: Rhythum Seth/ The Quint)

AAP’s Funds

The allegation about Kejriwal not informing the Income Tax department about funds being received by AAP was another such episode. Mishra challenged Kejriwal the other day, claiming to have disclosed the source of Rs 2 crore the party received from a businessman Mukesh Kumar Sharma.

He implied that the amount was routed to the party’s accounts through some bogus companies. But then only Sharma would know the source of those funds, and not Kejriwal. Or else Mishra should have presented something concrete to substantiate this allegation.

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In any case, a party’s responsibility ends after disclosing the source of its funds. It’s the donor’s job to explain the source of money given to a political party.

Why Didn’t Mishra Approach Court?

Mishra’s latest salvo against AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh relates to their Russia trip. It says that the visit was sponsored by Sheetal Prasad Singh who is involved in a Rs 400-crore high-security number plates business in Delhi.

Mishra alleged that Singh represented a company called Rosemarta Securities which was allowed to continue its business despite a court order restraining it. But again, he did not present any documentary evidence. Let’s start backwards to cross-check their veracity.

If there was a court order which was being violated by the Delhi government, it was a clear case of contempt of court. Did Mishra move the court over this matter?

Also Read: Satyendar Jain Files Defamation Case Against Kapil Mishra

Dragging Rosemarta Securities

Secondly, Rosemarta Securities has denied any association with Singh. Sheetal Prasad Singh too has denied having ever worked for Rosemarta, while accepting that he had briefly entered into the high-security number plates business in 2002-03 but exited 10 years before the 2013-14 period which Mishra has referred to.

Sheetal Singh told The Quint that his nephew got married in Russia about two years ago. He had invited 32 guests from India and had arranged for their travel and stay in Moscow. Ashutosh and Sanjay were part of the baraat. Sanjay Singh and Sheetal Singh both belong to neighbouring villages in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh and are friends for a long time which is why the AAP leader was part of the baraat.

Also Read: Meet Neil Haslam, The Man Behind Kapil Mishra’s AAP ‘Exposé’

Who is Sheetal Prasad Singh?

Sheetal Singh was a fellow journalist in Lucknow. I was working for The Times of India while he represented India Today magazine. He broke a story which had established that only 15 kar sevaks – not hundreds as was claimed by the BJP and the VHP at the time – were killed in police firing in Ayodhya on 30 October 1990.

In 1993, he quit journalism, moved to Delhi and became an entrepreneur. He would export pharmaceutical products to Russia where his younger brother had relocated.

In 1998, he tried to bring CNG technology to India to lower the pollution levels in metros like Delhi. In the next three-four years he ran a flourishing business before he began dabbling with high-security number plates. He quit this business within a couple of years after being threatened by members of a mafia group.

The main reason for Sheetal to quit the business was that he was under threat from the Babloo Srivastava gang which was hired by a rival company to apply pressure on him. Sheetal Singh sold off his equity to his partner Ravi Somani to buy peace.

Moreover, Sheetal Singh had lodged a complaint against the then Chief minister Sheila Dikshit and Transport Minister Parvez Hashmi in 2003-04, for malpractices in initiating the CNG regime.

Also Read: Kapil Mishra vs AAP: Four Big Charges, But No Concrete Defence Yet

Protests in Delhi after Kapil Mishra accused Kejriwal of financial irregularities. (Photo: PTI)

Other Side of the Story

Kejriwal during his 48-day first stint as Delhi CM, had ordered an ACB probe against Rosemarta Securities. The LG, however, stayed the probe after Kejriwal resigned. After returning to power, Kejriwal again recommended an ACB probe. The case is in the court which has granted an interim stay on proceedings against Rosemarta.

In fact, the high-security number plates business even today is dominated by only two players, Nitin Shah and Vivek Nagpal, both close to the present BJP regime. Among them they share a business worth more than Rs 30,000 crore.

I was not an invitee to the Moscow trip but witnessed a scene which remains etched in my memory. Ashutosh, a common friend, offered Sheetal a book to read but the latter simply didn’t want to. Later, I learned that the book contained a cheque that would pay for the airfare to Moscow. Ashutosh simply wanted Sheetal to accept the cheque. Despite being part of the baraat, Ashutosh did not want any obligation from Sheetal.

Also Read: Kejriwal Has Time to Watch ‘Sarkar 3’ But Not Work: Kapil Mishra

Reputation ‘Tainted’ Forever

Mishra's allegation against Sheetal, Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh, therefore, are nothing but a joke gone bad. But it seems to have tarnished Sheetal’s reputation. All TV and newspaper headlines, following Mishra's allegations, have described him as a “tainted businessman”.

Whether he files a defamation case against Mishra and the media organisations is a different matter altogether but the damage appears to have been done. Searches on Google throw up results that describe Sheetal Prasad Singh as a 'tainted businessman'.

Also Read: When a Driver ‘Exposed’ a Coup Plot to Unseat Arvind Kejriwal