Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi voiced her support for AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal following allegations of assault. During her campaign in Raebareli, Priyanka Gandhi emphasized her party’s stance on standing with women against any form of atrocity.
“If any atrocity happens to any woman anywhere, we stand with the woman. I always stand with women – irrespective of which party they belong to. Secondly, AAP will discuss amid themselves and make a decision. It is up to them,” Priyanka Gandhi stated.
All India Mahila Congress President Alka Lamba also expressed confidence in Maliwal’s resilience. “Swati Maliwal is a strong and aware woman. I am confident that she will come forward and take the legal route and fight for justice,” Lamba said.
During a press conference, AAP leader Sanjay Singh accused the BJP of politicizing the issue and alleged that Maliwal had been mistreated by Delhi police during a 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 told reporters.
Meanwhile, BJP criticized AAP for not taking action against Arvind Kejriwal’s PA, Bibhav Kumar, who was allegedly involved in the assault. BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia questioned Kejriwal’s silence on the matter, demanding his resignation. “Arvind Kejriwal should answer and if you are a coward CM and cannot speak even a single word then you should resign because the women of the country are angry and feeling insulted and only Arvind Kejriwal is responsible for this,” Bhatia asserted.