After days of speculation, Arvind Kejriwal today faced questions on the BJP’s charge that his aide assaulted Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal. As the AAP chief, addressing a joint press conference with INDIA ally Akhilesh Yadav, remained silent, his colleague Sanjay Singh took the mic and threw a counter.
What about the tribal women paraded naked in Manipur and the sex assault allegations against BJP ally Prajwal Revanna, questioned Sanjay Singh, an AAP MP.
“When our wrestler daughters were fighting for justice at Jantar Mantar, it was Swati Maliwal, the then Chairperson of the Women’s Commission, who went to support them and was dragged and beaten by the police,” Sanjay Singh said, listing what he said were examples of the ruling party’s silence on crimes against women.
“The Aam Aadmi Party is a family. The party has made its stance clear, and I want the Prime Minister and the BJP to respond to all the issues I have raised. Please don’t play political games on this,” he added.
The BJP has accused Mr Kejriwal – released from jail last Friday to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls – of shielding his personal assistant Bibhav Kumar, who allegedly “misbehaved with” Swati Maliwal on Monday. The incident allegedly took place at the Delhi Chief Minister’s home.
Swati Maliwal, former chief of the Delhi Commission for Women, has not spoken about the incident, which has exploded into a political back-and-forth in the middle of national elections.
Amid escalating BJP attacks, Sanjay Singh had said on Tuesday that the Chief Minister had taken note of the incident and would take action.
The BJP, however, launched protests in Delhi demanding an FIR against Mr Kejriwal’s aide and “justice for Swati Maliwal”.
BJP leaders also claimed that Mr Kejriwal and other AAP leaders were seen at the Lucknow airport with the man accused of assaulting the MP. At the same time, they alleged, Swati Maliwal was incommunicado
