How did Swati Maliwal get in without appointment, asks BJP’s Sudhanshu Trivedi

Swati Maliwal has alleged that Bibhav Kumar attacked her at the CM’s official residence in north Delhi on May 13

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday sought to attack chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his aide Bibhav Kumar over the Swati Maliwal assault case, wondering how the Rajya Sabha MP was able to enter the chief minister’s residence without an appointment.

AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal arrives at the Tis Hazari Court to get her statement recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (ANI FILE)

“The events inside the Chief Minister’s residence in Delhi have exposed their reality to such an extent that even eight days after that incident, many questions remain in the minds of the people of Delhi,” BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said.

Maliwal has alleged that Kumar attacked her at the CM’s official residence at Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines area in north Delhi on May 13, when she went there to meet Kejriwal. Kumar, who has denied the charges and filed a counter complaint, was arrested on Saturday from the CM’s residence in connection with this case, which was registered on May 16

The AAP has backed Bibhav Kumar, and alleged that Swati Maliwal had tried to implicate AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in a false case. But when Bibhav Kumar didn’t let her meet Kejriwal, Maliwal hurled the allegations at her.

Trivedi also took a swipe at Kejriwal, saying he promised people before coming to power to keep his doors open to people. “But today he is staying in his ‘Sheesh Mehal’ and meeting people only after appointments. He told his MP that since there was no appointment, he would not meet her,” the BJP leader added.

He also asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor to release his appointment diary for May 13. “If there was no appointment then how could she come inside your residence? If anyone goes to any Chief Minister’s residence without appointment he is not allowed to get in. You should answer how could she get in,” the BJP leader asked.

Maliwal, in her complaint, alleged that Kumar slapped her seven to eight times without any provocation, pounced on her, kicked her in the chest and pelvis, and deliberately pulled up her shirt when she went to meet Kejriwal.

On Sunday, Kejriwal told a gathering of AAP ministers, MLAs, MPs and senior party leaders that the BJP has a plan to “crush” AAP, arrest all its senior leaders, seize its accounts and evict the party from its office.