The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has asked for its Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal's resignation for her controversial remarks against party colleague Atishi, who succeeded Arvind Kejriwal as the next Chief Minister of Delhi. Senior AAP leader Dilip Panday accused Maliwal of reading from the 'Bharatiya Janata Party's script' despite being sent to the Rajya Sabha by the AAP.
"Swati Maliwal is such a person who takes a ticket of Rajya Sabha from the Aam Aadmi Party and takes the script to speak from Bharatiya Janata Party. I would say that if she has even a bit of shame left then she must give up the AAP Rajya Sabha seat and should go to Rajya Sabha from the BJP," said Pandey told mediapersons.
A reft between AAP and Maliwal became public after the Rajya Sabha MP accused Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar of assaulting her at the CM's residence a few months ago. The accusation followed a public spat with AAP defining Kumar and accusing Maliwal of lying. Kumar was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court in the case.
On Tuesday, after Atishi was named the new CM of Delhi by the party, the Member of Parliament claimed that Kalkaji MLA would be a "dummy" CM. "Today, it is a very sad day for Delhi. A woman is going to be the chief minister of Delhi whose family fought for terrorist Afzal Guru in order to save him from capital punishment... Her parents sent a mercy petition to the President of India several times that Guru should not be hanged, he is innocent and has become the victim of a political conspiracy," Maliwal alleged.
She further alleged, "Today Atishi will become the chief minister, but we all know that she will be a dummy CM."
Kejriwal, who was released from jail on Friday, announced on Sunday that he would resign from the CM post within 48 hours and would only return if people give him a "certificate of honesty".