"What does BJP want by raising this issue?": Shashi Tharoor on Swati Maliwal assault case
May 22, 2024
New Delhi [India], May 22 : Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that by repeatedly raising the issue of AAP MP Swati Maliwal, the BJP does not want to discuss the issues of unemployment and inflation and the law will take its course.
His remarks came as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is facing heat amid the ongoing Swati Maliwal investigation, in which the party MP has accused party chief Arvind Kejriwal's former personal secretary Bibhav Kumar of assaulting her at the Delhi Chief Minister's residence.
"AAP's official statement has been made...I don't see a need to add anything to it. She is not our appointee. So, if they know, let them only speak. Secondly, what does the BJP want by raising this issue again and again? To see that the reality of the country felt by people--unemployment, inflation--is not discussed...," he told reporters here.
Earlier on May 20, AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atisihi had claimed that Swati Maliwal was threatened by the ACB to make allegations against Arvind Kejriwal's aide.
A conspiracy was hatched against Arvind Kejriwal by using Swati Maliwal as a pawn. The whole country saw the truth of Swati Maliwal's allegations in the video that came out from CM House. We believe that Swati Maliwal was threatened regarding the ACB case against her and she was made the face of this conspiracy. Under this, allegations were to be made against Arvind Kejriwal ji, but this conspiracy also failed," she had said.
These allegations were however denied by Swati Maliwal who said she would take those who were making false claims against her to court.
"Since yesterday, Delhi ministers are spreading lies that an FIR has been filed against me for corruption, hence I did all this on the instructions of BJP. This FIR was lodged 8 years ago in 2016 after which both the CM and LG appointed me as the Chairperson of the Women's Commission twice more. The case is completely fake on which the High Court has stayed for 1.5 years, and accepted that no money transaction has taken place. According to them, until I filed a complaint against Bibhav Kumar, I was "Lady Singham" and today I have become a BJP agent. The entire troll army was deployed against me just because I spoke the truth...They're putting my relatives' lives in danger by tweeting their details using their car numbers. Well, lies don't last long...I will take you to court for every lie you spread," she said in a post on X on Wednesday.
The Swati Maliwal alleged assault case surfaced just ahead of polling in the National Capital and days after the release of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from jail. The National Capital is polling on May 25. The first five phases of polling were held on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20. The next two rounds of voting will be held on May 25 and June 1. The results will be announced on June 4.
