Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Swati Maliwal once again targeted the soon-to-be Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Wednesday, alleging her family had close ties with former Delhi University professor Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani. Geelani was sentenced to death by a special court but later acquitted by the Supreme Court in the 2001 Parliament attack case.
Maliwal, AAP Rajya Sabha MP, shared a post on X stating that Atishi’s parents were involved in organising a 2016 event at the Press Club of Delhi in memory of Afzal Guru, who was convicted in the 2001 Parliament attack case. Maliwal claimed the event, co-organised by Atishi’s parents and Geelani, saw slogans calling for Kashmir’s freedom and glorifying Guru, including “If one Afzal dies, lakhs will be born.”
Maliwal said that Atishi’s parents had even authored an article “Arrest and Torture of Syed Geelani”, screenshots of which were shared on her X handle along with the caption “God help Delhi.”
On Tuesday, Maliwal criticised the AAP’s decision to appoint Atishi as Delhi’s next Chief Minister, alleging her family had campaigned to prevent Afzal Guru’s execution. Maliwal said, “Even though Atishi Marlena is a ‘dummy CM,’ the matter still concerns national security. May God protect Delhi.”
Maliwal shared a video clip where Atishi’s mother accused the authorities of making Guru a scapegoat.
“Today is a very sad day for Delhi. Today, a woman is being made the Chief Minister of Delhi whose family fought a long battle to save terrorist Afzal Guru from hanging. Her parents wrote mercy petitions to the Honourable President to save terrorist Afzal Guru. According to them, Afzal Guru was innocent and was framed as part of a political conspiracy,” Maliwal said in a post on X.
Tensions between Maliwal and the AAP leadership have been simmering since May when she alleged she was assaulted by Kejriwal’s aide, Bibhav Kumar. Following her complaint, Delhi Police filed an FIR against Kumar, who was later arrested and is currently out on bail.
The AAP leadership, including Atishi, denied Maliwal’s claims, suggesting they were part of a political conspiracy orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In response to Maliwal’s “dummy CM” comments, AAP leader Dilip Pandey called for her resignation from the Rajya Sabha, accusing her of following a BJP agenda. He remarked, “Swati Maliwal takes a ticket to Rajya Sabha from AAP but uses a BJP script. If she has any shame, she should resign from her Rajya Sabha seat and seek a BJP ticket instead.”
Atishi was announced as Delhi’s next Chief Minister after Arvind Kejriwal resigned from his position. Kejriwal proposed Atishi’s name at a legislature party meeting, which was unanimously supported by AAP MLAs.
Atishi, born to Delhi University professors Vijay Kumar Singh and Tripta Wahi, started her political career with AAP in 2013. She rose to prominence after participating in the Jal Satyagraha in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, in 2015.
Kejriwal was recently released from Tihar Jail after being granted bail by the Supreme Court in a corruption case related to the alleged Delhi Excise Policy scam. The court set conditions for his release, including that he must refrain from making public comments about the case and attend all trial court hearings unless exempt.
