Amid ongoing war of words between the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party over the alleged assault on Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, the saffron party on Wednesday hit out at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for being silent over the matter.
Bibhav Kumar, the personal secretary of the Delhi chief minister, was arrested in the case on May 18.
Addressing a joint press conference alongwith BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant mentioned that he has been in Delhi for three days, participating in the campaign efforts. During his interactions with the public in Delhi, the Goa Chief Minister noted that “People consistently ask why Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has remained silent for nine days regarding the Swati Maliwal case. They question his reasons for not addressing the issue and believe he should provide some clarification on the matter”.
Sawant further said Kejriwal’s silence on the Maliwal case speaks volumes and portrays the Aam Aadmi Party as having shifted from being a party for the common man to an “Anti-Delhi Anti-Women Party”.
“The gravity of the situation … pointing out that a woman, who has been a supporter for 20 years and is an MP, faced harassment at the Chief Minister’s Rs 120 crore ‘Sheesh Mahal’. The fact that such an incident occurred in a government bungalow and the CM has remained silent is a matter of great shame,” the Goa Chief Minister said.
Sawant said when AAP leader Sanjay Singh held a press conference, he admitted to the harassment incident involving Swati Maliwal at the CM’s house and stated that Arvind Kejriwal will take action in three days.
“However, three days later, Bibhav Kumar, who was Arvind Kejriwal’s PA, was taken by Kejriwal himself to Lucknow in his car. This indicates that Kejriwal is pressuring Swati Maliwal to compromise, similar to what happened in the Soni Mishra case,” Sawant said.
He pointed out that “Soni Mishra filed a harassment case against an AAP leader in Narela but committed suicide after Kejriwal advised her to compromise”.
“Swati Maliwal is under pressure from a former PA, who harassed her, and questioned the legitimacy of Bibhav Kumar staying at the CM’s residence. If Bibhav Kumar was not involved, why did he format his phone? Kejriwal needs to answer this. Questioning why the CCTV footage from the CM’s house was blank when the Delhi police arrived for inquiry. Arvind Kejriwal must answer these questions. Deleting the CCTV footage and hiding Bibhav Kumar indicates Bibhav Kumar’s suspicious involvement,” the Goa Chief Minister said.
Sawant said Kejriwal, who once spoke about “India Against Corruption,” is now part of the INDI Alliance.
“The INDI Alliance leader, who proclaimed “Ladki Hun, Lad Sakti Hun,” has not said a word about the harassment of a woman MP. Despite the incident occurring on May 13, and with both Kejriwal and other leaders addressing rallies and press conferences, none of them have commented on Swati Maliwal’s case. Delhi women are demanding answers, and Kejriwal must respond, as Bibhav Kumar’s involvement is evident,” the Goa Chief Minister said.
Sawant highlighted that Swati Maliwal, a long-time MP of AAP, filed the case, which occurred at the Chief Minister’s residence. The AAP must provide clarification on this matter, he said.
Meanwhile, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said anyone who spends time among the people of Delhi will experience both their pain and suffering.
“Arvind Kejriwal, who once promised to install CCTV cameras in every corner of Delhi, now faces a situation where there is not even CCTV footage available from a single corner of the CM’s residence. This highlights a significant gap between his words and actions,” Trivedi said.
“No movement or statement is being made for Manish Sisodia, all the agitation is for Bibhav Kumar. There have been no demands or movements to bring Manish Sisodia into the election campaign,” the BJP national spokesperson said.
On May 16, the Delhi Police lodged an FIR against Delhi CM’s aide Bibhav Kumar in connection with the alleged assault on Maliwal that took place on May 13 at CM Kejriwal’s official residence.
Maliwal, in her complaint, alleged that Bibhav “slapped” her “at least seven to eight times” while she “continued screaming” and “brutally dragged” her while “kicking” her in her “chest, stomach and pelvis area.”
After his arrest, Kumar was produced before Delhi’s Tis Hazari Court, which remanded him to police custody for five days.
The close aide of the AAP supremo earlier emailed Delhi Police, stating that he was ready to cooperate in the ongoing probe into Maliwal’s assault claim while adding that they should also take cognizance of his complaint.
Kumar lodged a counter-complaint with the police on May 17, accusing Maliwal of gaining ‘unauthorised entry’ into the CM’s Civil Lines residence and ‘verbally abusing’ him.