Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal has questioned her party’s demonstration against the BJP-led central government after the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s PA Bhibav Kumar.
Maliwal has accused Kumar of verbally and physically assaulting her. However, the AAP alleges that the BJP is using her to weaken the opposition as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections move into their final phases.
Track | AAP Protest In Delhi Live Updates: Arvind Kejriwal, others begin march towards BJP office
Swati Maliwal Recalls Nirbhaya
“There was a time when we all came out on the streets to get justice for Nirbhaya. Today, after 12 years, we are out on the streets to save the accused who made the CCTV footage disappear and formatted (my) phone?” she questioned.
She stated that a demonstration should have been done when AAP’s Manish Sisodia was arrested. “I wish we (the party) had used this much force for Manish Sisodia ji. If he had been here, maybe this bad thing wouldn’t have happened to me!” she added.
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AAP Alleges BJP Conspiracy
However, Delhi Minister and AAP leader Atishi has alleged that Maliwal’s accusations are “a conspiracy hatched by the BJP”.
“This whole incident of Swati Maliwal is a conspiracy hatched by BJP. Swati Maliwal is being used as a pawn in this conspiracy as there is a case against her in ACB (Anti-Corruption Bureau),” Atishi said. She further alleged that the BJP uses its “standard operating procedure” by registering a case against Maliwal.
“A chargesheet has been made in the illegal recruitment case against her (Maliwal), and she is near to getting convicted. This is BJP’s standard operating procedure… this is the same Delhi Police who did not file an FIR on Brij Bhushan Singh until the court intervened, even though women wrestlers sit on the streets. In this case, no FIR has been registered against the complaint given by Bibhav Kumar over the security breach of CM’s residence by Swati Maliwal and trespassing… Delhi Police is working as per the direction of BJP,” she alleged.
AAP Protest in Delhi
Delhi CM and AAP national convener Kejriwal and party leaders began their protest in the city today after alleging that the BJP has started ‘Operation Jhaadu’ so that “we (AAP) don’t grow big and become a challenge to them”.
“Through ‘Operation Jhaadu,’ AAP’s big leaders will be arrested. They are being arrested, and AAP’s bank accounts will be frozen in the coming days. ED’s lawyer has already stated in court that soon after the election, AAP’s bank accounts will be frozen,” he said.
“If they freeze our account now, we will get sympathy. After the election, they will freeze our accounts, our office will be cleared out, and we will be brought to the streets. These are the three plans made by the BJP,” he added.
Earlier, on May 18, addressing a press conference, Kejriwal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “playing the game” of sending AAP leaders such as Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, and Sanjay Singh to jail.
“They are after our party and sending our leaders to jail one after another… Today you have sent my PA (Bibhav Kumar) to jail,” he said, adding the BJP is saying they will send AAP MP Raghav Chadha and Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj to jail too.
“I, along with my MLAs and MPs, would go to the BJP office at noon tomorrow so that the prime minister can send anyone he wants to jail,” he said.
Meanwhile, security has increased outside the BJP headquarters in Delhi due to the AAP’s protest outside the premises.
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Published: 19 May 2024, 02:09 PM IST
