New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has called for the resignation of its Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal following her critical comments about senior party leader Atishi, who has been selected as the next Chief Minister of Delhi. In a sharp rebuke, senior AAP leader Dilip Pandey accused Ms. Maliwal of following the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) narrative, despite being nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the AAP.Swati Maliwal takes the Rajya Sabha seat from AAP, but seems to follow the BJPs script in her reactions. If she has even a shred of dignity left, she should resign as a Rajya Sabha MP and seek a BJP ticket, Mr. Pandey stated.This call for her resignation marks the culmination of an intensifying conflict between Maliwal and the AAP, which began after she accused Arvind Kejriwals aide, Bibhav Kumar, of assaulting her at the Chief Ministers residence.Maliwals criticism of Atishis appointmentEarlier today, the AAP announced Atishi as Arvind Kejriwals successor, with Kejriwal set to step down as Chief Minister later this evening. He has pledged not to return to the position until the people of Delhi re-elect his party in the upcoming elections.Ms. Maliwal was quick to voice her displeasure over Atishis appointment, calling it a “sad day for Delhi.” She went on to make explosive claims, alleging that Atishis parents had previously attempted to prevent the execution of convicted terrorist Afzal Guru.AAP asks Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal to quit over exposing Atishi in her congratulatory video.She said It is a very sad day for Delhi. Delhi is going to have such a Chief Minister whose own family fought for very long to protect terrorist Afzal Guru. Her parents submitted a… pic.twitter.com/f8DpqPZk4l— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) September 17, 2024Today is a sad day for Delhi. A woman whose family fought to save terrorist Afzal Guru from the gallows is being made the Chief Minister. Her parents submitted mercy petitions to the Honorable President to save Guru, Ms. Maliwal wrote in an online post.Maliwal also branded Atishi as a “dummy CM,” accusing her family of being involved in political conspiracies.Her family believed Afzal Guru was innocent and framed as part of a political conspiracy. While Atishi may just be a dummy CM, this issue touches on national security. May God protect Delhi, she added.Atishis silenceAtishi, who currently serves as Delhis Education Minister, has not yet responded to these remarks. Her silence has raised questions, but her political focus appears to remain on the transition of leadership.Swati Maliwals ties with the AAP have been strained ever since an incident in March when Bibhav Kumar was arrested. Maliwal had accused the AAP of victim-shaming her, further escalating tensions within the party. In response to her claims, Arvind Kejriwal had called for a fair investigation, acknowledging that there were two conflicting accounts of the event.
