(Image source from: Rs. 20)

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) collected almost Rs. 20 lakh during a fund-raising dinner with Delhi traders. Some AAP leaders attended the Rs. 20,000-a-plate dinner with nearly 100 businessmen during a fund-raising effort by the party.

The dinner was organised at a Vasant Vihar club in south Delhi.

Party members of AAP hope the fund-raising dinner would collect close to Rs. 20 lakh, the amount AAP garners from online donation on good collection days.

Kamal Bansal, who is a member of AAP's traders' cell, said the invitation had been sent to all the seven party candidates.

Manish Sisodia, Shakoor Basti MLA, former health minister Satyendra Jain, Chandni Chowk nominee Ashutosh and New Delhi nominee Ashish Khetan attended the dinner. Others would be joining late, said Bansal.

Traders who had attended the dinner were from various associations in the city, added Bansal.

The dinner started with a question-answer session between the traders and AAP leaders. During the session trader Narendra Rathi assured the support of his community to the party. The expectations of the traders was also also put forward before the AAP leaders.

Traders were in turn given assurance by AAP leaders that issues would be discussed before any decision is taken, said Bansal.

Traders' associations in Delhi have a long standing demand to simplify the filing of Value Added Tax. AAP had promised to simplify the tax to woo the trading community in Delhi.

Fund-raising dinners have been earlier hosted by AAP in Banglore, Mumbai and Pune. During the Bangalore fund-raising dinner, AAP had collected Rs. 50 lakh.

(Picture Source: muslimmirror.com)

(AW: Pratima Tigga)