‘Pressure on her from high-level’: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Swati Maliwal assault case
Sitharaman attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for not speaking against the assault and said that Kejriwal should apologise for the issue.
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, speaking on the alleged assault of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal, said that the former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief did not file a complaint for 3-4 days because there was “pressure on her from high-level”.
Addressing a press conference at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters, Sitharaman said, “The fact that Swati Maliwal did not register a complaint in Police for 3-4 days (after the incident) means that there was pressure on her from high-level. There is reason to believe that there was enough pressure on her and probably will continue on with her.”
Sitharaman attacked Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for not speaking against the assault.
Read Here | Maliwal slapped 7-8 times, kicked in chest, stomach, pelvis: FIR
“The women in Delhi are asking - can this CM (Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal) even provide security to the women in the city? Arvind Kejriwal is responsible for this incident,” Nirmala Sitharaman said.
She said it was unbelievable and unacceptable that Arvind Kejriwal had not spoken anything on the issue.
“Since May 13, the CM Arvind Kejriwal has not spoken even a single word on the act of violence against his own party's Rajya Sabha female member. It is unbelievable and unacceptable that his party's female member, who was the chief of the Delhi Commission for Women, was assaulted, and he did not even say anything about it,” she said.
Maliwal has alleged that Kejriwal's personal secretary Bibhav Kumar "slapped" her "at least seven to eight times" while she "continued screaming" and "brutally dragged" her while "kicking" her in her “chest, stomach, and pelvis area”. On Friday, Maliwal also recorded her statement before the magistrate in the national capital's Tis Hazari court under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Read Here: Swati Maliwal's argument with staff in video footage; ‘God is watching,’ says MP
Sitharaman also attacked AAP for not extending support to the recently passed Women's Reservation Bill in the parliament.
“When the first Bill (Women's Reservation Bill) was passed in the new Parliament building, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said 'Mahila Bewakuf Banao Bill'. Today, who is making a fool of women? It's not the BJP. Our party has two Lok Sabha candidates from Delhi - Bansuri Swaraj and Kamaljeet Sehrawat. Whereas, AAP does not have a single female candidate in Delhi,” she said.
Maliwal filed an FIR on Thursday under IPC Sections 308 (Attempt to commit culpable homicide), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 354B Assault or use of criminal force to a woman with intent to disrobe, 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation), and 509 (Word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).
Talking to X, Maliwal said in a post on Thursday, “What happened to me was very bad. I have given my statement to the police on the incident that happened to me. I hope that appropriate action will be taken. The last few days have been very difficult for me. I thank those who prayed for me. Those who tried to do character assassination, said that she was doing it on the instructions of the other party, may God keep them happy too. An important election is going on in the country, Swati Maliwal is not important, the issues of the country are important. There is a special request to BJP people to not do politics on this incident.”