Gupta had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly polls from Moti Nagar on a Congress ticket
Meet Sushil Gupta, a billionaire businessman from Punjabi Bagh, who has been nominated by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as one of the candidates for the Rajya Sabha. Gupta, who has been put nominated while ignoring few senior party leaders like Kumar Vishwas and Ashutosh, was earlier associated with the Congress. However, he quit the grand old party on November 28, 2017.
After ending his long association with the Congress, Gupta was often seen with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at various public and private events. Considered an 'outsider'for the post, Gupta has not even formally joined the AAP. Sources in the party said that not all the members were happy with the decision to choose Gupta as the RS nominee.
"It is surprising to know how an outsider, who was earlier associated with some other party, has been directly given a ticket to the Rajya Sabha seat. He used to participate in all public functions of our party and was an active member," said Ajay Maken, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief. Maken claimed that while putting the resignation papers, Gupta had told him that the AAP has promised a Rajya Sabha seat to him.
Gupta had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly polls in 2013 from Moti Nagar on a Congress ticket. In 2015, he was made the chairman of Traders' Cell of the Congress and had also contested the Delhi University Students' Union Polls (DUSU) in 1984.
A billionaire, Gupta has immovable assets worth Rs 69 crore and residential buildings worth Rs 26 crore. The information was declared by him in an affidavit during the Assembly polls. He further declared assets running into over Rs 160 crore in his affidavit.
His website- www.sushilkumargupta.com suggests that he has been associated with 29 schools in Delhi and Haryana. Apart from his contribution in the education sector, Gupta has been quite active in the healthcare sector as well. He has played a major role in the development of Maharaja Agrasain Hospital.
As soon as the names were declared by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, a large number of AAP supporters criticised the party for selecting Gupta. People questioned the party's theme of'Aam Aadmi'and how the party has disappointed them with the decision.
"AAP giving Rajya Sabha tickets to people who have not distinguished themselves in public service & have no expertise on anything to qualify for the RS, by ignoring the voices of volunteers, is the final denouement of a party which started with such promise & is now totally degenerate,"tweeted Prashant Bhushan, who was one of the founding members of the AAP.
Another former AAP member Mayank Gandhi also criticised the decision calling it "shocking".
AAP NOMINEES FOR THE RAJYA SABHA
Sanjay Singh, 46
Singh being one of the founding members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged as the most favoured choice among the party members for the Rajya Sabha seat. A mechanical engineer by training, Singh made his political debut by launching an organisation'Azad Samaj Samiti'in Sultanpur, UP in 1994. He was a Core Committee Member of Team Anna during India Against Corruption movement in 2011 and later joined Arvind Kejriwal during the RTI movement 'Ghoos ko Ghoosa'. A social activist-turned-politician, Singh was also the core member of the Delhi Election Campaign Group (DECG), which was formed during the Delhi Assembly elections 2015. He is presently handling several responsibilities within the AAP as in-charge of political affairs of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He was also involved in a movement to clean the Gomti River by Shramdan (labour gift) and participated in a protest against corruption within the Clean Gomti River project by the government of Uttar Pradesh.
CA Narain Dass Gupta, 72
A practicing Chartered Accountant (CA), Narain Dass Gupta is the first ever Indian to be elected on the Board of International Federation of Accountants, USA (a federation of 164 regulatory accounting bodies of 116 countries). He is considered to be an expert on the GST and has authored several books on accountancy and business. An alumnus of Delhi University's Shri Ram College of Commerce, Gupta has also served as president of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. According to the AAP, he mobilised generous support and help from professional colleagues to contribute Rs 51 lakhs towards the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund during AB Vajpayee's tenure.
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 "Sushil Gupta")
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