NEW DELHI: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal expressed strong disapproval over AAP leader Atishi’s appointment as the new chief minister of Delhi.
Maliwal referred to Atishi as a "Dummy CM" and expressed concern for Delhi's well-being. She also shared a purported letter, which she alleged was the mercy petition written by Atishi's parents.
Maliwal stated in an X post, "Today is a very sad day for Delhi. Today, a woman is being made the of Delhi whose family fought a long battle to save terrorist Afzal Guru from hanging. Her parents wrote mercy petitions to the Honorable President to save terrorist Afzal Guru. According to them, Afzal Guru was innocent and was framed as part of a political conspiracy." She added, "Although Atishi Marlena is just a 'Dummy CM', still this issue is related to the security of the country. May God protect Delhi!"
Earlier today, during a meeting of party MLAs, AAP national convenor and Delhi Arvind Kejriwal proposed Atishi as his successor. Sources confirmed that she was subsequently elected as the leader of the Delhi AAP Legislative Party. Kejriwal is expected to submit his resignation to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena today at 4:30 pm, following which Atishi is likely to take the oath of office.
It is worth noting that Swati Maliwal, an AAP Rajya Sabha MP, recently accused Kejriwal's former aide Bibhav Kumar of assaulting her at the CM's residence. Although Bibhav was arrested by the Delhi Police, he was recently released on bail. Since the incident, Maliwal and AAP have been at odds, with Maliwal making serious allegations against the party. However, she has not left the party, nor has AAP expelled her.
Earlier, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj dismissed the possibility of Sunita Kejriwal, the 's wife, succeeding Arvind Kejriwal. When asked about potential successors, Bharadwaj stated, "I have no knowledge, whether it will be someone from the council of ministers or from among the MLAs. But we will let you know. As far as I understand the politics of Arvind Kejriwal, I don't think it will be Sunita Kejriwal. She is not interested."
On Saturday, Kejriwal announced his intention to resign and not resume as the CM until the people of Delhi declared him "honest." He also called for advancing the polls in the national capital to November this year, ahead of the scheduled February elections. Kejriwal stated that if re-elected by the public, it would serve as a "certificate" of his honesty and that he would push for early elections, alongside those in Maharashtra.
The announcement by the 54-year-old leader came two days after he was released from Tihar jail, having been granted bail by the Supreme Court in a corruption case related to the alleged Delhi Excise Policy scam.
The apex court imposed certain conditions on Kejriwal's release, including refraining from making public comments about the case and attending all hearings before the trial court unless exempt.