Swati Maliwal questions AAP's choice of new Delhi CM, slams Atishi's family for backing Afzal Guru

New Delhi: Disgruntled Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Tuesday attacked the AAP for picking Atishi as the next Delhi Chief Minister, claiming that her parents campaigned for the release of Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru, even as the party asked her to quit from her post.

Soon after AAP announced Atishi's name, Maliwal shared a video statement to the media calling the decision an "extremely unfortunate day" for Delhi.

“A woman like Atishi is going to become the CM of Delhi, whose own family fought a long battle to save terrorist Afzal Guru from death penalty. Her parents wrote mercy petitions to the President several times, that he is innocent, that he should not be hanged, that he is a victim of political conspiracy,” she claimed.

“Today, Atishi will become the Chief Minister, but we all know that she will be only a 'dummy CM'. Still, this is a major issue because she will be the Chief Minister and this matter is directly linked to the security of the country as well as Delhi. God save the people of Delhi from such a Chief Minister,” she said.

Atishi's academician parents Vijay Singh and Tripta Sahi were part of a committee which campaigned for S A R Geelani and Afzal Guru, who were accused in the 2001 Parliament attack case. While Geelani was acquitted, Afzal was executed after his appeals and mercy plea were rejected.

Responding to Maliwal's attack, senior AAP leader Dilip Pandey told reporters, “Swati Maliwal is such a person who takes the ticket of Rajya Sabha from AAP and takes a script from the BJP before speaking. I would say that if she has even a bit of shame left, then she must give up the AAP Rajya Sabha seat and should go to Rajya Sabha from the BJP.”

Maliwal later responded, “Being an MP from Delhi, it is my responsibility to raise the voice of Delhi and the country. It will never so happen that my Delhi falls into the hands of terrorist Afzal Guru lovers and I sit quietly! You can say whatever you want against me, but you will have to answer for your links with terrorist Afzal.”

Maliwal, who was elected to Rajya Sabha on AAP ticket in January this year, fell out with the party after she claimed that she was assaulted by Kejriwal’s close aide Bibhav Kumar at his official residence.