BJP Mahila Morcha protests outside CM’s house over ‘assault on Maliwal’

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 17

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal has received support from an unexpected quarter — the BJP Mahila Morcha. Following news of an alleged assault on Maliwal by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s close aide, Bibhav Kumar, the BJP Mahila Morcha has been protesting continuously.

‘Women no longer feel safe’

After the indecent behaviour with Maliwal in the CM’s house, the women of Delhi no longer feel safe. If a Rajya Sabha member is not safe inside the CM’s residence, how can Kejriwal guarantee the safety of women in their homes or on the streets? — Richa Pandey Mishra, BJP Mahila Morcha president

A day after Maliwal lodged an FIR against Kumar, around 200 women activists from the BJP Mahila Morcha, led by president Richa Pandey Mishra, gathered outside Kejriwal’s residence on Friday. They demanded Kejriwal’s resignation and carried bangles to symbolically present to him.

Voicing the concerns of many women in Delhi, Mishra said, “After the indecent behaviour with Maliwal in the CM’s house, the women of Delhi no longer feel safe. If a Rajya Sabha member is not safe inside the Chief Minister’s residence, how can Kejriwal guarantee the safety of women in their homes or on the streets?”

Emphasising the broader implications of the incident, Mishra added, “This is not a personal matter of Kejriwal but an issue of insult to an active woman MP of Delhi. The Kejriwal government has remained silent on the insults being perpetrated against Delhi’s women by their allies for the past 10 years.”

Praveen Shankar Kapoor, media head of the Delhi BJP, said, “Kejriwal’s silence in the Maliwal case proves his agreement with the assault on her.”

Priyal Bharadwaj, state general secretary of the morcha, expressed shock and outrage at the incident, saying, “What happened at the CM’s residence with Maliwal is not just indecency but also physical assault. It is extremely humiliating for a woman who is an MP. It is painful and shameful that despite Kejriwal being aware of all this, he remains silent.”

State general secretary Sarita Tomar said, “Those who used to talk about new politics, this is their new politics — their senior leader and former chairperson of the Women’s Commission was insulted by their colleagues, yet they have not said anything about it.”

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#Aam Aadmi Party AAP #Arvind Kejriwal #BJP #Rajya Sabha