![\"Maliwal:](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130650899,imgsize-94390,width-400,height-225,resizemode-72\/26swatimaliwal-5jpg.jpg\" "\\"Rajya")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNew Delhi: <\/span>The defection of seven Rajya Sabha MPs from AAP to BJP<\/a> last week triggered intense backlash, with the group facing accusations of \u201cbetrayal\u201d and a U-turn in their stance against the saffron party. Speaking to TOI<\/span>, 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 <\/span>explained the reasons behind her decision to quit.\u201cI have been part of movements since 2006. I was among AAP\u2019s youngest core committee members. I spent several years working for women\u2019s 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\u2019s laws — once for 10 days and once for 13 days,\u201d she said, recounting her journey.Elected an RS MP in Jan 2024, Maliwal\u2019s 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<\/a> at the latter\u2019s house \u2013 a claim she has repeated after her exit.\u201cWhen I tried to file an FIR, I was threatened,\u201d she alleged. \u201cIt\u2019s 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.\u201dMaliwal said despite the incident, she wanted to remain in the party and reform it from within. But seeing Kejriwal\u2019s close aide, whom she had accused of assault, getting \u201croyal treatment in Punjab\u201d only drove her away. \u201cOver time, I realised Kejriwal does not listen,\u201d said the RS MP.According to Maliwal, AAP was against the Women\u2019s Reservation Bill, which finally sealed her decision to exit the party. \u201cFor 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,\u201d she said.Looking ahead, Maliwal said she views her role in BJP in modest terms. \u201cI 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,\u201d 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. \u201cAll the MPs sit together in Parliament, and it was there the discussion took place,\u201d 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, \u201cI 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.\u201dSince 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\u2019s commissions and filling up vacancies, she said, \u201cI 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\u2019s commissions across India. We also need to look at states like Jharkhand, which have not had a women\u2019s commission for more than five years.\u201d<\/div>\n