The BJP on Thursday hit out at Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal for maintaining silence at a press conference in Lucknow on the alleged assault on his party MP Swati Maliwal, alleging the Delhi chief minister is behaving more like a "goon". Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva assailed the chief minister for skipping media queries, and demanded he resign immediately, taking responsibility for the incident.
Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia claimed Kejriwal is the main "criminal" in the complaint that his aide Bibhav Kumar had physically attacked Maliwal at the chief minister's residence, as he cited the telephone call she had made to the Delhi Police to report the matter.
"His (Kejriwal) silence speaks a lot. Out of jail, he is more a 'goonda' than a chief minister," he told reporters, noting that Kumar was seen with the chief minister in Lukcnow. Stringent action should be taken against the accused in the case.Kumar, he noted, was photographed with Kejriwal during his visit to Lucknow.
The Aam Aadmi Party convener did not reply to a question about the incident at a press conference he addressed with Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav. AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who was also there, instead replied, saying his party has already made it stand clear on the issue.Singh then went on to cite the incidents of crimes against women in Manipur, women wrestlers' complaint against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and the Prajwal Revanna case to hit back at the BJP. One should not play political game over the Maliwal issue as the AAP has made its stand clear, he said.
"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. He demanded that the AAP leader should break his silence or resign if he is a coward, Bhatia said.
Sachdeva echoed Bhatia in attacking Akhilesh Yadav, and said nothing else was expected from him.Sachdeva said Kejriwal was seen with Bibhav Kumar and Sanjay Singh in a photo at Lucknow airport which shows how seriously the chief minister is taking the matter."They are travelling with the person (Kumar) whom they consider an offender. Lies, deceit and cunning are characters 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 questioned.
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva in a video byte said, “The incident involving Swati Maliwal is not an accident but a conspiracy. Sanjay Singh himself had said that Bibhav, who is said to be Arvind Kejriwal's PA, misbehaved with Swati Maliwal at the Chief Minister's residence and the party will take cognisance of it. He had also stated that Kejriwal is angry with Bibhav. But all three were seen together at Lucknow Airport last night. Lies, deceit and deception which are in the character of the Aam Aadmi Party were once again visible.”
Sachdeva also raised questions over the death of AAP worker Santosh Koli, who was a close associate of CM Kejriwal from the time of the movement, and said that whenever there is talk of respect and self-respect of women, the character of Arvind Kejriwal and his party appears to be hollow. The incident that happened with Swati Maliwal is not the first incident, he alleged.
Noting that the woman Rajya Sabha MP has been incommunicado, the BJP leader asked if she has been kidnapped or forcibly kept away from the public eye. He also took a swipe at Yadav over his attempt to downplay the incident by claiming that it is not a big issue.
Targeting the Samajwadi Party, he recalled later SP leader Mulayan Singh Yadav's controversial defence of some men accused of rape by claiming "they are boys, they at times make mistakes".
