The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has called for the resignation of Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal following her controversial remarks about Atishi, who has been announced as the next Chief Minister of Delhi, replacing Arvind Kejriwal. Senior AAP leader Dilip Pandey has accused Maliwal of aligning with the BJP and betraying the party's trust.
“Swati Maliwal takes a Rajya Sabha ticket from the AAP but reads out the BJP’s script,” Pandey declared. “If she has even a shred of dignity, she should resign as a Rajya Sabha MP and seek a BJP ticket for her next political venture.”
The call for Maliwal’s resignation highlights the ongoing rift between her and the AAP. This discord was ignited by Maliwal’s recent accusation that Bibhav Kumar, an aide to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, had assaulted her at Kejriwal’s residence. Maliwal has accused the AAP of victim-shaming in response to her allegations.
In a scathing critique of Atishi's appointment, Maliwal took to social media to voice her discontent. She described the choice of Atishi as a "sad day for Delhi" and alleged that Atishi's family had previously fought to prevent the execution of convicted terrorist Afzal Guru. Maliwal further labeled Atishi as a "dummy CM" and accused her parents of engaging in a political conspiracy.
“Today is a very sad day for Delhi. A woman whose family fought a long battle to save terrorist Afzal Guru from being hanged is being made the Chief Minister of Delhi,” Maliwal wrote on X. “Although Atishi Marlena is just a ‘dummy CM’, this issue relates to the security of the country. May God protect Delhi.”
The controversy surrounding Maliwal escalated after the AAP announced that Atishi, the current Education Minister of Delhi, would succeed Kejriwal as Chief Minister after he resigned from his position on Tuesday. She shared a video in which she is strongly criticising Atishi.
Maliwal’s strained relationship with the AAP has been evident since March, when she publicly criticized the party and its leadership following the arrest of Bibhav Kumar. Kejriwal has responded to Maliwal’s accusations by calling for a fair investigation, noting that there are conflicting accounts of the incident.
The AAP picked Atishi as the new Chief Minister on Tuesday, two days after Arvind Kejriwal announced his decision to resign from the top post. Atishi has been a key figure in the Delhi government and the only female minister in the Cabinet. She has been a prominent member of the AAP since 2013, gaining recognition for her role in the Jal Satyagraha movement in Madhya Pradesh in 2015.
