Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal needs to come clear on allegations being leveled against his personal secretary Bibhav Kumar, by Rajya Sabha MP, Swati Maliwal, that she had been assaulted by him, when she visited the AAP Supremo’s residence on Monday. The issue has snowballed into a major controversy, and could impact the AAP’s chances in the Lok Sabha polls in the national capital.
Swati, who was the Chairperson of the Delhi Commission of Women till very recently, has lodged a formal complaint with the police, and underwent a medical examination on Thursday to press her charges. A case against Bibhav Kumar under multiple sections has been registered, and his version of the incident is not known till now. Swati had accused Bibhav of physically assaulting her when she was in the living room of the Chief Minister and wanted to meet him. She had called the PCR after the alleged beating and even went to the Civil Lines police station but did not lodge any report.
While Swati has urged the BJP not to make a political issue of this matter, the immediate provocation on Thursday to make a formal complaint with the police was when Bibhav Kumar was seen accompanying the Chief Minister to Lucknow, for a joint meeting with Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav.
At one stage it appeared that the issue was being hushed up following assurance to Swati by her Rajya Sabha colleague, Sanjay Singh that the Chief Minister had taken cognizance of the incident and would accordingly take appropriate action against the suspect, who is for practical purposes, his Man Friday. Swati continues to be livid but has so far not spoken on the subject in public and is probably waiting for Kejriwal to speak first.
The entire issue has raised questions about the functioning of the AAP and the fact that an assault on a senior member of the party at the Chief Minister’s house, has gone unaddressed by the top functionaries, is not a good reflection on their working, particularly in the election season.
Those who have been following AAP affairs would recall that Swati Maliwal and Bibhav Kumar have been associated with Arvind Kejriwal since 2007, much before the India against Corruption movement was launched under the leadership of Anna Hazare. To begin with Swati was opposed to the formation of AAP but later overcame her thinking to once again work alongside her mentor and boss, Kejriwal.
There has been a history of differences between her and Bibhav Kumar in the past, but the assault is something which has come as a surprise for the cadres, and is perceived to be highly condemnable. The issue could have been resolved had Kejriwal intervened to understand the provocation for the assault, which in any case is unjustified.
The dilemma before the CM was apparently that he is over dependent on Bibhav Kumar, and by taking him along with him to Lucknow, he gave a signal, which was interpreted as his preference for his PA over his Rajya Sabha MP.
It needs to be pointed out here that a strong resentment had been building up in AAP against its Rajya Sabha MPs, most of whom have not risen to the occasion, when Kejriwal was arrested and jailed. Swati Maliwal had apparently gone abroad and was conspicuous by her absence as was Raghav Chadha, who has undergone a complicated eye surgery in London. Other Rajya Sabha MPs, particularly from Punjab like Harbhajan Singh, Vikramjit Singh Sawhney and Ashok Kumar Mittal, the founder and Chancellor of the Lovely Professional University have kept themselves away from the AAP agitation against Kejriwal’s arrest.
Sources said that when Swati had come to meet Kejriwal at his home, there was a hostile reception for her. The assault allegedly took place soon after, and thus the issue was brought out in the public domain. While Sanjay Singh has tried to do some firefighting, it is most unlikely that Swati Maliwal at this juncture would either withdraw or dilute her complaint. Therefore, Bibhav Kumar’s arrest in the matter is not ruled out.
The incident has cast a shadow over the Delhi Lok Sabha elections where the BJP was struggling, but is certain to cash in on these differences within the AAP. The AAP-Congress alliance in the capital is viewed as being formidable but there are already fissures that are visible.
The AAP for instance, has moved out all its key players from the constituencies which the Congress is contesting and put them in the seats where the party has put up nominees. There are some AAP elected representatives who are active in the Congress areas but they are not too prominent.
While at one stage, the AAP-Congress combination was looking at winning all the seven seats of the capital, there are enough reasons to revise this assessment. The AAP is doing well in West Delhi and in South Delhi, but is trying to find its feet in New Delhi and East Delhi. The Congress is involved in a fierce contest in North East Delhi and North West Delhi and in Chandni Chowk, its nominee, veteran leader Jai Prakash Aggarwal is making inroads.
However, the Swati Maliwal episode has given enough reason for the alliance partners to worry, and it is to be seen how the matter would die down before May 25th since the BJP would keep the issue alive.