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AAP MP Swati Maliwal, a former close aide of Arvind Kejriwal, made headlines on Thursday as she attended the swearing-in ceremony of BJP leader Rekha Gupta, the newly appointed chief minister of Delhi, at Ramlila Maidan.
A video shared by news agency PTI showed Maliwal on stage—one of three set up for the event—with a large banner of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the background. She was seen in conversation with Congress’ Delhi unit chief, Devender Yadav, fuelling intense political speculation.
VIDEO | AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) attends Delhi CM oath-taking ceremony at Ramlila Maidan. (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/z9kXxTo9GX
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 20, 2025
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Swati Maliwal’s rift with Arvind Kejriwal
Once a trusted ally of Arvind Kejriwal, Swati Maliwal has become one of his most vocal critics in recent months.
Her fallout with the AAP supremo began in May last year when she accused Bibhav Kumar, a close aide of Kejriwal, of physically assaulting her at the former chief minister’s residence. She claimed she was invited to discuss party matters but was instead beaten while Kejriwal was present in the building.
The rift deepened during the Haryana elections in October 2024, when she slammed Kejriwal for betraying the INDIA bloc by contesting the polls independently—a move that resulted in AAP securing less than 2 per cent of the vote.
Maliwal’s continued criticism of AAP
Ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, Maliwal staged a protest outside Kejriwal’s residence, accusing him of failing to clean the Yamuna River, a promise made before the 2020 elections. The protest led to her detention by Delhi Police.
As election results rolled in, Maliwal remained defiant. She took to X (formerly Twitter) and posted a silent yet symbolic image from the Mahabharata, depicting Draupadi’s ‘cheerharan’ (disrobing)—a move widely interpreted as a sharp attack on Kejriwal and AAP’s decline.
Speaking to NDTV, she blamed Kejriwal for AAP’s crushing defeat.
“If a person becomes extremely arrogant and stops working for the people, then the people teach that man a lesson. That is exactly what has happened with Arvind Kejriwal today,” she said.
She further accused Kejriwal of running AAP without internal democracy.
“All of us have contributed so much to the party. We came with a vision… but we could not because of our leaders, who do not believe in internal democracy. He thinks he can get away with anything—speaking lies, beating up people.”
Will Maliwal quit AAP? Here’s what she says
Amid speculation that she may resign from AAP and her Rajya Sabha seat, Maliwal made her stance clear.
“I’m an AAP MP and will continue… People say that because I raise questions, I should resign. But my question is, why? I have not done anything wrong,” she said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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