Rajya Sabha Seat For Lawyer Abhishek Singhvi The Cause Behind Swati Maliwal Issue?
As the Swati Maliwal assault case unfolds, a senior journalist has claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wanted to give his counsel, lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a Rajya Sabha seat as a token of his gratitude for aiding his release from Tihar jail. When he asked Maliwal to resign for the same, she allegedly refused, and the ensuing drama followed.
Ahead of the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, the AAP has been undergoing internal strife. Following Maliwal’s accusations of Kejriwal’s personal assistant physically assaulting her for not trying to meet the Delhi CM without an appointment, a series of back-and-forths between the Rajya Sabha MP and Atishi have occurred.
According to a senior journalist, the political turmoil within the party started with Kejriwal wanting to offer a Rajya Sabha seat to his lawyer, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, as a token of thanks for helping him get bail.
Maliwal, who was elected as the Rajya Sabha MP representing Delhi in January this year, was asked by Kejriwal for her resignation as the MP of the upper house. However, she refused to give up her seat, according to the senior journalist.
Earlier, the BJP”s Delhi unit chief, Virendra Sachdeva, had alleged that the “assault” on Maliwal was linked to the AAP leader’s desire to send a senior lawyer to the Rajya Sabha. Sachdeva also claimed that the reason Kejriwal was not taking strict action against Kumar was because he was aware of his “wrongdoings and corruption.”
In a press conference, AAP senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh had earlier extended his support to Maliwal, confirming that she had been assaulted by Kumar and that Kejriwal was aware of the incident. However, despite this, Kumar had accompanied Kejriwal to Mumbai, raising questions on whether the CM was protecting and supporting the accused in the case.
Soon, senior politician and state minister Atishi called Maliwal a “BJP agent” who had attempted to trap Kejriwal and “get his conditional bail cancelled.” Snippets of CCTV footage from CCTV cameras installed at Kejriwal’s residence surfaced online. Referring to the two videos, Atishi claimed that Maliwal’s accusations were untrue, as there were no signs of her having been assaulted.
Maliwal claimed that the CCTV footage from Kejriwal’s residence was being tampered with.
Hitting back, Maliwal claimed that the CCTV footage from Kejriwal’s residence was being tampered with.
As per Maliwal’s FIR, Kumar had slapped her “7 to 8 times,” and kicked her in the chest, stomach and pelvis areas in an “unprovoked attack.” Three days after the incident, Maliwal filed a written complaint against Kumar who has been booked under IPC sections to assault, criminal intimidation, and outraging a woman’s modesty.
