Pots and pans to piggy banks: Funding of AAP for changing India

MUMBAI: A railway linesman travelled a great distance three months ago to track down the activist Anjali Damania in Mumbai. On finding the Maharashtra convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at the Gateway of India, he handed her a cheque of Rs 500. Given his salary, the amount was a lot, but he insisted on donating to AAP. He said he wanted to change the country.

Not so long ago, the linesman's sentiment would have sounded innocent and naive. But then, the Aam Aadmi Party trail-blazed its way through Delhi assembly election and, indeed, sparked several transformations.

The donations in cash and kind that fuelled the party came from the aam aadmi. For donors, it was akin to "supporting a social movement, not merely a political party contesting elections".

Donations included everything from children's pocket money to pots and pans. Thirty-three NRIs from Singapore contributed to AAP their karva chauth money, which worked out to a total of Rs 68 lakh. "The five-year-old son of an NRI couple wanted to support the Aam Aadmi Party, but thought he was too small to be of any help. Finally, he donated to AAP the pocket money saved in his piggy-bank—two Singapore dollars," says Damania.

A bunch of NRIs in Dallas, Texas, hit out at mainstream political parties in a YouTube video over their allegations of foreign funding of AAP. In the video, they flashed their blue passports, spoke in a range of Indian languages and detailed the donations they had made as well as the transaction ID. They pointed to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, which allows Indian citizens living abroad to donate legally earned money to political parties.

Donors closer home too contributed however they could. Siddhart Setia, an engineering student who lives in a flat above the AAP office in Mumbai, gave his induction cooker to the party office.

Archi Bagchi, an employee at a Bangalore MNC, was largely apolitical till AAP arrived on the scene. Not only did he donate to the party, but also became its champion. He now urges friends to support the party. Bagchi's squash buddy Sachin Krishnan inspired him to support AAP. Krishnan's wife Rupali made a couple of donations to AAP and now actively pitches for the party through social media.

Sumeet Khetal (28), who works in the merchant navy, donates Rs 15,000 every month to AAP. He motivated his friends and colleagues to donate too. "I have seen the way every paisa donated to AAP has been properly utilized," he says.