Defected Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal on Saturday launched a sharp attack on party chief Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that the party had “strayed far” from its founding principles and that its leader had undergone a fundamental change.
The remarks come a day after AAP suffered a major setback, with seven of its Rajya Sabha MPs, including Maliwal and Raghav Chadha, resigning from the party in one of its biggest internal ruptures since its formation. The other MPs who quit were Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Mittal, Rajinder Gupta and Vikram Sahney.
Maliwal, who has since joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing his leadership as “decisive and strong”.
“I left my home, lived in slums for seven years, quit my job and supported every movement. But when I tried to file an FIR after being assaulted, I was beaten up at Kejriwal's residence by his aide,” Maliwal told PTI Videos.
She alleged that when she pursued the complaint, she was “threatened and pressured” to withdraw it.
“For two years, I was put under pressure to take my case back, but I did not bow down. Because of this, I was not given even a minute to speak in Parliament by the party,” she said.
Accusing AAP of abandoning its core values, Maliwal said the party is now associated with “lies, corruption and hooliganism”.
“The real betrayal is not leaving the party, but not standing by your own principles. People are not leaving out of fear; they are leaving because of Arvind Kejriwal,” she said, adding that more leaders may quit in the coming days.
Also read: Defections expose deep fault lines within AAP
She further alleged that “no good person can work with him for long” and accused Kejriwal of duplicity.
“There was a time when he carried a Rs 2 pen and wore simple clothes. Today, only his status has changed,” she said, accusing him of building multiple “sheeshmahals”, a term used by the BJP to suggest a lavish lifestyle.
Maliwal also targeted AAP’s governance in Punjab, alleging that Kejriwal continued to control the state government remotely after the party’s electoral loss in Delhi.
“The Punjab government has become a personal ATM. Illegal sand mining and drug use are happening openly, and corruption is at its peak,” she alleged, adding that public dissatisfaction in the state was rising.
She claimed that individuals who once led modest lives had amassed wealth under the party’s rule, with such developments occurring “under Kejriwal’s protection”.
Clarifying her decision to join the BJP, Maliwal said it was made after careful consideration.
“I am not someone who can be scared. I have joined wholeheartedly. If I wanted, I could have joined two years ago,” she said, rejecting allegations that defectors were pressured by agencies such as the ED and the CBI.
Meanwhile, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said the party would approach the Rajya Sabha Chairman seeking disqualification of the seven MPs under the anti-defection law.
“Anti-defection law clearly states that any type of split or faction cannot happen in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. It does not carry any legal recognition, even if it's a two-thirds majority,” Singh said.
He also alleged that the defections were part of the BJP’s “Operation Lotus”, adding that “the people of Punjab will not forgive the seven”.
Maliwal was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2024. She had earlier served as chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women.
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