The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday alleged that the entire matter pertaining to alleged misconduct with Swati Maliwal is nothing, but a political conspiracy orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party involving former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chairperson to undermine the AAP in the upcoming Delhi LS elections on May 25.
Addressing a press conference here, senior AAP leader and Cabinet Minister Atishi claimed that Maliwal, who is entangled in an alleged recruitment scam case, is being coerced by the saffron party. She further alleged that the BJP has pressured Maliwal to target the AAP and its national convener Arvind Kejriwal.
With just a few more days left for voting in Delhi, the AAP urges police to investigate Maliwal’s alleged connections with the BJP leaders to uncover the truth, she said.
Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj has also pointed to another purported video evidence of May 13, which shows Swati Maliwal allegedly threatening a security personnel, contradicting her claims of victimhood.
Atishi further claimed that former DCW chief and RS MP Maliwal is facing an alleged recruitment scam case from the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) that contractual employees were recruited in the commission in an illegal manner, and the case has been going on since past several years.
Atishi added that a FIR has also been filed against Maliwal in this, and the case was now closer to its end, further alleging that, the situation here also seems to be of the alleged formula of the saffron party regarding filing cases against different leaders.
“Perhaps Swati Maliwal was made to do this by threatening her about the case going on against her in DCW,” Atishi added.
The AAP leader further said that the party also seeks that Maliwal’s call records be probed.
“We come to know from reliable sources that she has been in constant touch with BJP leaders for the last few months,” Atishi claimed.
She further demanded that Delhi Police should launch a probe, as to what kind of political conspiracy is this, which is being allegedly hatched to attack AAP and Kejriwal, with just a few days left for voting to take place in Delhi.
Atishi further alleged that the BJP does everything clearly, as it allegedly uses central agencies like ED, CBI, Income Tax Department and ACB against opposition leaders.
Swati Maliwal has been made a pawn of this conspiracy, she alleged, adding that the same was being done right in the middle of the election.
Reacting to the video with regard to this incident, Bharadwaj said that when any woman makes such an allegation, people sympathize with her, and when Swati made this allegation for the first time, AAP also sympathized with her.
He further said that, as per Maliwal, she has said she was slapped, kicked and punched, her clothes were torn and somehow she managed to escape by saving herself.
The AAP leader claimed that in the first video that surfaced, Maliwal is seen allegedly misbehaving with those police personnel. She is saying that “I will get your uniform removed.”
“Her clothes are looking fine in the video. She is sitting comfortably on the sofa and is commanding. She does not look like she is suffering, said AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj.
In the other video, security personnel are seen escorting Swati Maliwal outside the CM’s house, she looks fine in that too, Bharadwaj added.
The AAP leader further claimed that after watching the video, it does not seem at all that the things Swati Maliwal is saying in her FIR, that incident happened with her.
Bharadwaj has also claimed that BJP leaders are in touch with Maliwal.
The AAP has also raised doubts on Maliwal going for the medical checkup on May 17, four days after the incident, and at that time when she went to record her statement in the court, she was limping, as if she had been beaten up a lot.
Speaking on the issue, AAP leader Jasmine Shah has also claimed that the video that came right after the incident has revealed the truth, adding that what all she alleged in the FIR is in contradiction to what can be seen in the purported video where Maliwal is sitting comfortably on the sofa, and does not seem to be in any kind of trouble or pain, on the contrary, she is saying nonsense.