From excise 'scam' to Maliwal 'assault', shift in BJP's narrative

BJP leader and Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday flayed AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, saying his silence on the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal at his residence is “shameful”.

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Campaigning in East Delhi constituency’s Laxmi Nagar for Harsh Malhotra, the Union finance minister said Kejriwal’s “silence” on the allegation is “surprising and shocking”.

“Leave alone talking about the incident or punishing the person, he was seen walking around with him. It is utterly shameful that a woman MP who headed the Delhi Commission for Women was treated like this,” she said.

Maliwal has alleged Kejriwal’s aide attacked her with full force, slapping and kicking her in the chest and abdomen, charges rejected as “baseless” by AAP, which accused her of being the face of a BJP conspiracy to frame the Delhi chief minister.

Sitharaman also “feared” that Maliwal was “really threatened” to stop her from coming forward and taking her struggle to a logical conclusion.