The BJP attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday for avoiding media questions about the alleged assault on his party MP Swati Maliwal at his residence in Delhi, accusing him of behaving more like a “goon”. The Aam Aadmi Party convener was speaking at a press conference earlier in the day in Lucknow with Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, when the Delhi chief minister was questioned about the incident. Kejriwal avoided the question, which was fielded by AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who was also present. Singh stated that his party has already taken a clear position on the issue.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva chastised the chief minister for avoiding media questions and demanded his resignation immediately, accepting responsibility for the incident.
BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia claimed Kejriwal is the main “criminal” in the incident in which his aide Bibhav Kumar allegedly physically attacked Maliwal at the chief minister’s residence. Bhatia also mentioned a phone call Maliwal made to the Delhi Police on the day of the incident.
“Kejriwal’s silence speaks volumes. “Out of jail, he’s more of a ‘goonda’ than a chief minister,” Bhatia told journalists. Bhatia noted that Bibhav Kumar was photographed with Kejriwal during his visit to Lucknow.
At the press conference, Sanjay Singh used incidents of crimes against women in Manipur, women wrestlers’ complaints against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and the Prajwal Revanna case to criticise the BJP.
The AAP has made its position clear in the Maliwal case, and no one should politicise it, Singh said.
Bhatia noted that Singh admitted that a condemnable incident had occurred against Maliwal, and that Kejriwal was expected to act in a case involving a party colleague. Instead, he described the accused as a “twin brother” travelling with him.
“This shows Kejriwal has no commitment to justice for women, while the BJP is fighting for justice for an opposition leader,” he said, accusing him of cowardice. Bhatia demanded that the AAP leader break his silence or, if he is a coward, resign. He said that the woman The Rajya Sabha MP has been incommunicado since the incident, and the BJP leader wondered if she had been kidnapped or forcibly removed from the public eye.
He also criticised Yadav for attempting to downplay the incident by claiming that it is not a big deal. Targeting the Samajwadi Party, Bhatia recalled the late SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav’s controversial defence of some men accused of rape, claiming that “they are boys, they make mistakes.”
Sachdeva echoed Bhatia’s attack on Akhilesh Yadav, saying nothing more was expected of him. Sachdeva stated that Kejriwal was photographed with Bibhav Kumar and Sanjay Singh at Lucknow airport, demonstrating how seriously the Chief Minister is taking the matter.
“They are travelling with Kumar, whom they consider an offender. “Lies, deception, and cunning are the hallmarks of Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party,” the Delhi BJP president charged. “Was it not a responsibility of Kejriwal who holds the constitutional post of chief minister and was present at his home at the time of the incident, to lodge a police complaint,” he asked.