AAP MP Swati Maliwal attended the swearing-in ceremony of BJP’s Rekha Gupta as Delhi’s Chief Minister, highlighting her rift with former ally Arvind Kejriwal. Once a close aide, Maliwal has criticized Kejriwal since alleging assault by his aide and accusing him of betraying the Congress-led INDIA bloc during the Haryana elections. Following AAP’s poor performance in the Delhi election, Maliwal blamed Kejriwal for the loss and expressed concerns about his leadership. Despite speculations about her departure from AAP, she confirmed her commitment to the party and dismissed calls for her resignation for holding leadership accountable.
New Delhi:
AAP MP Swati Maliwal was present among the notable political figures at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Thursday as BJP’s Rekha Gupta took the oath as the new Chief Minister.
A video released by news agency PTI captured Ms. Maliwal, the former head of the Delhi Commission for Women, on one of the three stages set up for the event, chatting closely with Devender Yadav, the Delhi unit chief of Congress, with a banner of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the background.
Once a close ally of party leader and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Ms. Maliwal has recently become one of his more outspoken critics.
The change began in May of last year when she accused one of Mr. Kejriwal’s aides, Bibhav Kumar, of assaulting her. She alleged that during an invitation to Mr. Kejriwal’s residence—when he was still Chief Minister—to discuss party matters, she was instead physically attacked by Mr. Kumar.
VIDEO | AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) attends Delhi CM oath-taking ceremony at Ramlila Maidan.
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/z9kXxTo9GX
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 20, 2025
She further stated that Mr. Kejriwal was in the building at that time.
The rift between Mr. Kejriwal and Ms. Maliwal deepened during the Haryana elections in October 2024, when she accused him of betraying the Congress-led INDIA alliance by leading the AAP into a solo contest, a campaign the party ultimately lost severely, obtaining less than two percent of the total votes.
In the lead-up to the Delhi elections this month, she was detained by Delhi Police after protesting outside Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, demanding accountability for his failure to fulfill promises to clean the Yamuna River, a pledge made before the 2020 elections.
As the Delhi election results were announced, Ms. Maliwal took jabs at Mr. Kejriwal, including a post on X that featured a photo with no commentary, portraying the ‘cheerharan‘ (disrobing) of Draupadi from the Mahabharata.
READ | As Kejriwal Loses, Swati Maliwal’s “Draupadi” Post Goes Viral
Shortly thereafter, she spoke to NDTV, attributing the AAP’s significant defeat in Delhi to Mr. Kejriwal’s actions.
“I believe when a person becomes excessively arrogant and neglects the responsibilities towards the public, the people will teach him a lesson. That is precisely what has transpired with Arvind Kejriwal today.”
READ | “I Blame Arvind Kejriwal”: AAP’s Swati Maliwal On Party’s Loss In Delhi
“We have all made substantial contributions to the party. We joined with a vision… but unfortunately, we could not achieve it due to our leaders, who do not support internal democracy and believe they can evade consequences by lying and using violence,” she expressed passionately.
Ms. Maliwal also addressed ongoing speculation regarding her potential exit from the party and resignation of her Rajya Sabha seat. She clarified in her discussion with NDTV that she had no such plans, stating, “I’m an AAP MP and will continue… People think I should resign just because I raise questions. But my question is, why? I haven’t done anything wrong.”
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