Image Courtesy: Twitter
Swati Maliwal, the Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), who claimed yesterday that she was harassed and dragged outside AIIMS by a drunk man after her hand got stuck in his car window as he tried to flee, has hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party, which claimed that the encounter was staged to cast Delhi police in a negative light. She called the claims “dirty falsehoods” and said the insults would not dissuade her in an angry tweet.
“Let me tell those who think that they will scare me by telling dirty lies about me. I have done many big things in this short life, with a shroud on my head. I was attacked many timed, but did not stop. With every atrocity, the fire inside me grew stronger. No one can suppress my voice. I will keep fighting as long as I am alive!” she said.
जिनहें लगता है मेरे बारे में झूठी गंदी बातें कर मुझे डरा देंगे उनको बता दूँ। मैंने सर पे कफ़न बांध इस छोटी सी ज़िंदगी में बहुत बड़े काम किए है। मुझपे कई अटैक हुए पर मैं रुकी नही। हर अत्याचार से मेरे अंदर की आग और बढ़ी। मेरी आवाज़ कोई नही दबा सकता। जब तक ज़िंदा हूँ लड़ती रहूँगी!
— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) January 20, 2023
The BJP had on Friday raised concerns regarding Ms Maliwal’s molestation charges, stating that the person she accused is an AAP member and her “drama” was part of a scheme which has now been “exposed”.
Virendra Sachdeva, working president of the Delhi BJP, said that Harish Chandra Suryavanshi, 47, who was accused of harassing Ms Maliwal, is a senior AAP activist in South Delhi’s Sangam Vihar.
Mr Sachdeva posted a photograph of the accused campaigning with AAP MLA Prakash Jarwal. “It has become evident that the event was a plot of AAP to tarnish Delhi worldwide by depicting the city as a hazardous place for women,” he added, referring to the photo and Suryavanshi’s background.
Ms Maliwal, who was nominated by the AAP, has been accused by some BJP politicians of fabricating the event in order to demoralise the Delhi Police and discredit the Centre.
AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been on the offensive against Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, a Centre appointee, over alleged interference in the state government’s functioning, referred to Ms Maliwal’s allegations to slam Mr Saxena once more, asking him to focus on fixing the city’s law and order situation rather than interfering in the AAP government’s functioning.
BJP lawmaker Shazia Ilmi alleged that the DCW head, a news station, and the AAP together planned a scheme to malign the Delhi police but were “exposed”.
“@AamAadmiParty and… did a sting to defame Delhi and its police and serious questions arise on its credibility. Is cheap politics legitimate on the serious issue of women safety?” she tweeted.
@AamAadmiParty और @abplive ने दिल्ली और दिल्ली पुलिस को बदनाम करने के लिए एक साज़िश के तहत स्टिंग किया जिस पर नैतिकता के तक़ाज़े पर गंभीर सवाल खड़े होते हैं! क्या महिला सुरक्षा जैसे गंभीर मुद्दे पर ओछी सियासत जायज़ है? @BJP4Delhi @BJP4India pic.twitter.com/vEsNanfnx7
— Shazia Ilmi (@shaziailmi) January 20, 2023
Manoj Tiwari, a BJP MP, also published a video zooming in on a photograph of the accused smiling beside the AAP MLA. He dubbed the event a “false sting,” while praising the Delhi police for moving quickly to apprehend the guilty.
आम आदमी पार्टी के फ़र्ज़ी स्टिंग का सच ! pic.twitter.com/1PaNnN68ht
— Manoj Tiwari 🇮🇳 (@ManojTiwariMP) January 20, 2023
Mr Tiwari stated that the matter should be properly probed, and that the accused’s call records should be examined to see who he was in contact with.
