New Delhi: The defection of seven Rajya Sabha MPs from AAP to BJP last week triggered intense backlash, with the group facing accusations of “betrayal” and a U-turn in their stance against the saffron party. Speaking to TOI, Swati Maliwal, who was part of the coordinated split, addressed the criticism, particularly the resurfacing of her past remarks against BJP on social media, and explained the reasons behind her decision to quit.“I have been part of movements since 2006. I was among AAP’s youngest core committee members. I spent several years working for women’s causes and assault survivors. When I became the chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), I listened to lakhs of cases. I also went on hunger strikes twice for women’s laws — once for 10 days and once for 13 days,” she said, recounting her journey.Elected an RS MP in Jan 2024, Maliwal’s fallout with the party began just a few months later, in May, when she alleged that she was physically assaulted by a close aide of AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal at the latter’s house – a claim she has repeated after her exit.“When I tried to file an FIR, I was threatened,” she alleged. “It’s been two years since, and I was not given even one minute to speak in Parliament, even though I was the only woman MP. This shows how anti-women the party is.”Maliwal said despite the incident, she wanted to remain in the party and reform it from within. But seeing Kejriwal’s close aide, whom she had accused of assault, getting “royal treatment in Punjab” only drove her away. “Over time, I realised Kejriwal does not listen,” said the RS MP.According to Maliwal, AAP was against the Women’s Reservation Bill, which finally sealed her decision to exit the party. “For me, that was the point where I had to put my foot down. I resigned from the party and joined BJP. I am inspired by the PM,” she said.Looking ahead, Maliwal said she views her role in BJP in modest terms. “I am a party karyakarta (worker) and will do what the party says. I am an MP who has a lot of work to do. I will learn from the party,” she said.Asked how the decision was reached by the group of seven MPs to leave AAP, who contacted her to switch the party, or if she took the lead, Maliwal said that discussions among the MPs played a crucial role. “All the MPs sit together in Parliament, and it was there the discussion took place,” she said.On her earlier criticism of BJP govt and the lieutenant governor during her time as the DCW chief, especially after the termination of contractual staff, Maliwal said, “I initially blamed the LG and held a press conference. But later, I was shown files that made it clear that the order came from Delhi cabinet ministers.”Since Jan 2024, DCW has been largely non-functional and headless, when then chairperson Maliwal resigned upon being elected to RS. Underlining the need to boost women’s commissions and filling up vacancies, she said, “I believe that there should be appointments, but at the same time, I have also moved a bill which would ensure more strength is given to women’s commissions across India. We also need to look at states like Jharkhand, which have not had a women’s commission for more than five years.”
