BJP slams Arvind Kejriwal for silence over Swati Maliwal assault, says ‘resign’
The controversy around the alleged attack erupted on May 13 after the Delhi Police received two calls from a woman alleging assault.
NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday kept up its attacks on Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal over the alleged “misbehaviour” with Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal at the CM’s residence by his private secretary Bibhav Kumar on May 13, saying the chief minister should resign if he could not say anything about the incident.
“It is three days since the incident. Everyone felt that he would not compromise on women’s security…. and will act against his PA, Bibhav Kumar,” BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia told reporters at a media briefing after Arvind Kejriwal didn’t speak on the topic in Lucknow.
“Arvind Kejriwal should answer and if you are a coward CM and cannot speak even a single word then you should resign because the women of the country are angry and feeling insulted and only Arvind Kejriwal is responsible for this,” Bhatia said.
The controversy around the alleged attack erupted on May 13 after the Delhi Police control room received two calls from a person who identified herself as Swati Maliwal and alleged that she was assaulted by Bibhav Kumar at the chief minister’s residence.
Maliwal later went to the Civil Lines police station but did not file a formal complaint.
Maliwal, a former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, has not made a statement on the incident.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh on Tuesday described the alleged assault as a “very condemnable incident”. “Swati Maliwal came to CM’s residence to meet Arvind Kejriwal. While she was waiting in the drawing room for Kejriwal, Bibhav Kumar (CM’s private secretary) arrived there and misbehaved with her,” the AAP leader told reporters on Tuesday.
As Arvind Kejriwal refrained from speaking on the topic at the joint appearance with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday, Sanjay Singh mounted a counter-attack on the BJP.
“In Manipur, a Kargil hero’s wife was disrobed and paraded....atrocities and molestation were committed on hundreds of other women. But India’s PM maintained silence. Prajwal Revanna, a BJP ally, (allegedly) raped and molested hundreds of women. The PM had said that Revanna will strengthen India.”
“When our wrestler daughters were fighting for justice at Jantar Mantar, it was Swati Maliwal, the then Chairperson of the Delhi Women’s Commission, who went to support the protesting women wrestlers. But the police dragged her and beat her up. This BJP government should reply on the Swati Maliwal issue when the police had beat her up”.
“...And we witnessed similar things in the Kuldeep Sengar issue in Unnao or the Hathras case, the PM maintains silence,” Sanjay Singh said.
The Aam Aadmi Party is a family. The party has made its stance clear (on the Maliwal issue), 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.
