Maliwal terms Atishi ‘terrorist supporter’, AAP calls Maliwal BJP’s lackey

New Delhi
Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Tuesday stirred controversy by terming the AAP’s decision to pick Atishi as Arvind Kejriwal’s interim successor to the chief ministerial post a “very sad day for Delhi”, raking up petitions filed by Atishi’s family “to save terrorist Afzal Guru”. In return, the AAP asked her to resign and accused her of “reading out the script of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) despite being sent to the upper house by the AAP”.
AAP’s chief whip in the Delhi assembly, Dilip Pandey, said that if Maliwal wanted to be in the Rajya Sabha, she should get a ticket from the BJP.
“If Maliwal has even a little shame, she should resign as a Rajya Sabha MP. She should resign from this post and choose the path to Rajya Sabha on a BJP ticket,” Pandey said.
Earlier in the day, the AAP legislative group unanimously selected Atishi as Arvind Kejriwal’s successor, ahead of Kejriwal tendering his resignation to the lieutenant governor in the evening.
Reacting to Atishi’s elevation, Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal said: “Today is a very sad day for Delhi. Today, a woman whose family fought a long battle to save terrorist Afzal Guru from being hanged is being made the Chief Minister of Delhi. Her parents wrote mercy petitions to the President to save terrorist Afzal Guru. According to them, Afzal Guru was innocent and was framed as part of a political conspiracy.”
Maliwal also called Atishi a “dummy” chief minister. “Although Atishi Marlena is just a ‘dummy CM’, still this issue is related to the security of the country. May God protect Delhi!,” she posted on X, alongside the mercy petitions filed ahead of Guru’s hanging in 2013.
Mohammad Afzal Guru was convicted for his role in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack and was sentenced to death. Ahead of his hanging, several groups had submitted mercy petitions.
Maliwal has been estranged from the AAP, as evidenced by her allegation of “assault” by Bibhav Kumar at the CM’s residence. However, she continues to remain an AAP MP, as the rules governing the tenth schedule of the Indian Constitution state that a lawmaker can be disqualified only in two circumstances — if he/she voluntarily resigns or if a lawmaker votes or abstains during division (voting), contrary to the directions of the party.
Responding to Pandey’s rebuke, Maliwal said that as a member of Parliament from Delhi, it is her responsibility to raise the voice of Delhi in such matters. “It will never happen that my Delhi fall into the hands of terrorist lovers and I sit quietly. You can say whatever you want against me, but you will have to answer for your links with Afzal,” she posted.
Delhi BJP Spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said: “For once, Delhiites agree with AAP MP Swati Maliwal and want the AAP leadership to reply whether they agree with Atishi’s family’s stand on Afzal Guru.”