Lucknow: As Arvind Kejriwal entered the venue for his press conference with Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, reporters attempted to question him on the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. The AAP supremo however refused to answer any questions.
During the press conference when the issue was raised, Akhilesh Yadav brushed aside the question saying “There are other issues that are more important than this.”
It was then left to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh to defend his party. The AAP MP accused the BJP of playing political games on the issue and alleged that the BJP had been behind Swati Maliwal being dragged and manhandled by Delhi police during the wrestlers’ protest at Jantar Mantar.
“Aam Aadmi Party is our family. The party has taken a clear stand on this issue…Can they answer on the case of Swati Maliwal, when she went to fight for justice for women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar, they made the police drag and beat her up. Don’t play political games on this,” Singh said speaking to reporters at a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday.
#WATCH | Lucknow, UP: On AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal’s assault case, AAP MP Sanjay Singh says “The entire country was in pain after seeing what happened in Manipur but PM Modi was silent on the issue. Prajwal Revanna raped thousands of women but PM Modi was asking for votes… pic.twitter.com/nQu73jcqNQ
— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2024
Earlier in May last year during the wresters’ protest at Jantar Mantar, Maliwal who was then the Delhi Commission for Women chief, alleged that the Delhi police pushed her and forcefully dragged her to a car which took her to the police station, while she was trying to meet the wrestlers.
“When wrestler daughters were fighting at the Jantar Mantar, the same Swati Maliwal, who was the chairperson of the Women’s Commission at that time, had gone to support them at night, the police dragged her and beat her,” Sanjay Singh said in the press conference.
The AAP MP further raised alleged atrocities against women committed under the BJP regime, Singh questioned the Prime Minister’s silence on such issues.
“The entire nation is saddened even today when a Kargil warrior’s wife was paraded naked in Manipur, several women were assaulted and the Prime Minister was silent. Prajwal Revanna raped, and brutalized thousands of women, even those who were of the age of his mother and the Prime Minister says that he (Prajwal Revanna) will give strength to India and people should vote for him. He is the future of India. He is made to flee by the BJP. The Prime Minister was also silent on the Kuldeep Sengar-Hathras case in Uttar Pradesh,” Singh said.
Earlier, the BJP alleged that Arvind Kejriwal was protecting his aided Bibhav Kumar who was allegedly involved in the assault on Maliwal. The BJP posted a picture of Kejriwal’s aide with him at the Lucknow airport and questioned as to why no action had been taken against him despite an assurance by Sanjay Singh.
“72 hours No FIR on Bibhav Kumar instead Kejriwal is protecting him! Roaming around with him. It is clear the attack on Swati Maliwal was done at the behest of Kejriwal himself. Now she is being pressured to keep silent or change her story as is evident from statements of Naveen Jaihind & Nitin Tyagi, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said.
It was alleged that CM Kejriwal’s aide had assaulted the former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women at the former’s residence. After initially maintaining silence in the matter, the AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said that the CM had taken due cognisance of the incident and strict action would follow.