The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly condemned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leader Arvind Kejriwal over an alleged assault on one of their own MPs. Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal claims she was mistreated and verbally attacked by a close aide of the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Speaking to the ANI news agency on Monday, senior BJP leader Bansuri Swaraj said her party vehemently denounces the incident if it is true that Kejriwal instigated his Officer on Special Duty (OSD) staff member to physically assault and misbehave with Swati Maliwal, right in front of the Chief Minister himself.
Swaraj, who is the BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from the New Delhi constituency, questioned how Kejriwal can ensure the safety of women in the capital if he cannot even protect a member of his own party in his presence. She called the alleged actions “shameful” and demanded Kejriwal provide answers.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur also reacted strongly, claiming the alleged incident shows that not everything is going smoothly within the AAP. He stated that “Nari Shakti” or women’s empowerment seems unsafe in Kejriwal’s party. Thakur raised doubts about rising tensions in AAP, suggesting these could escalate further when Kejriwal is jailed on June 2nd for defamation. The Minister hinted that other Kejriwal family members may join active politics soon.
As per reports, Swati Maliwal visited the Civil Lines police station on Monday evening and verbally alleged that a personal staff member of Arvind Kejriwal had misbehaved with her. She is said to have made police control room calls reporting the incident but has not filed an official written complaint yet.
The opposition Congress party also criticized the AAP over the Maliwal incident. Former Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely questioned how AAP can guarantee the safety and security of Indian citizens when they cannot maintain order and control within the Chief Minister’s official residential premises and among their own staff members.
Lovely argued that if AAP leaders cannot ensure proper conduct and a secure environment within the confines of their government accommodations, how can they provide assurances about upholding law and order across the national capital territory of Delhi.