AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal has criticized her former leader, Arvind Kejriwal, for his role in the Aam Aadmi Party’s defeat in Delhi. Ms Maliwal, who is now a vocal critic of Mr Kejriwal, attended the oath-taking ceremony of the new Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, at Ramlila Maidan on Thursday.
Ms Maliwal’s rift with Mr Kejriwal began in May last year when she accused one of his aides, Bibhav Kumar, of assault. She claimed that she was physically beaten by Mr Kumar and that Mr Kejriwal was present in the building at the time.
The feud between Ms Maliwal and Mr Kejriwal widened during the Haryana election in October 2024, when Ms Maliwal accused him of betraying the Congress-led INDIA bloc. The Aam Aadmi Party lost badly in the elections, securing less than two per cent of total votes.
Ms Maliwal also detained by Delhi Police during a protest outside Mr Kejriwal’s residence earlier this month, demanding action against him for failing to clean the Yamuna River. She took pot-shots at Mr Kejriwal on social media after the Delhi election result was announced, including an X post with no comment and only a photograph showing the ‘cheerharan’ (disrobing) of Draupadi from the Hindu epic Mahabharata.
In response to speculation that she will quit the party and surrender her Rajya Sabha seat, Ms Maliwal told NDTV that she has no intention of doing so. She said that people question her for raising questions, but she asks why.
Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/delhi-chief-minister-rekha-gupta-swearing-in-ceremony-aap-mp-swati-maliwal-7752711