AAP blasts Maliwal, claims she is 'face' of BJP conspiracy to discredit Kejriwal

In a dramatic turn of events and amid trading of bitter barbs in the Swati Maliwal assault case at the residence of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged on Friday that the case is a BJP conspiracy to frame Kejriwal and the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal is the “face” behind it.

Breaking its silence for the first time, the AAP termed allegations levelled by Swati Maliwal, MP and former chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) against Kejriwal’s aide as “baseless”.

AAP leader and minister Atishi, at a press conference, accused Maliwal of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to discredit the AAP during the ongoing general election.

Maliwal responded shortly afterwards on X, directing her anger at her alleged assaulter, Bibhav Kumar, and slamming him as a “goon” who had pressured the party into attacking her.

Atishi claimed the BJP is in cahoots with Maliwal, whom she labelled the “face and pawn of this conspiracy” - and that the “rattled” saffron party had been forced into this move because of the growing popularity of the Delhi Chief Minister and his status in the national political landscape.

“Ever since Arvind Kejriwal got bail the BJP has been rattled. Due to this, BJP hatched a conspiracy, under which Swati Maliwal was sent to Arvind Kejriwal’s house on the morning of May 13. They intended to accuse the Chief Minister... but he was not there then, so he was saved,” she said.

The remarks of the AAP come a day after the Delhi Police registered an FIR against Bibhav Kumar, the personal assistant of Kejriwal, for allegedly assaulting Maliwal at the chief minister’s official residence.