Aam Aadmi Party, whose senior leadership had been behind bars or on bail in the Delhi Liquor Policy scam case, is riddled with “blackmail culture”, Former party leader Shazia Ilmi has said. Stressing that the assault incident against Swati Maliwal is not a one-off incident, Shazia said that the environment in the Aam Aadmi Party is of “misbehaviour” and “hooliganism”. Apart from sharing her ordeal when she was an AAP leader, she asserted that AAP leaders have “dossiers/files” on each other and blackmail each other.
This comes after AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal filed an FIR against Bibhav Kumar, a close aide of Delhi CM and AAP National Convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of assaulting her at the latter’s residence. After initially admitting her allegations, the party has taken a U-turn and discredited the version and disowned its MP accusing her of aligning with the rival party, BJP. In the latest development in the case, the accused, Bibhav Kumar has filed a counter-complaint against the AAP MP Maliwal accusing her of trespassing.
Meanwhile, speaking with ANI, Former AAP leader, Shazia Ilmi recalled her experience when she was in the Aam Aadmi Party.
Narrating her ordeal, she said, “…My journey had been very tough. We came with a passion but the reality was something else. The environment in AAP is full of misbehaviour and hooliganism. The moment you start emerging as a leader, they will start cutting your wings. They insult, abuse, and enter homes forcefully…”
#WATCH | Delhi: Recalling her experience as an AAP member and leader, BJP leader Shazia Ilmi says, "…My journey had been very tough. We came with a passion but the reality was something else. The environment in AAP is full of misbehaviour and hooliganism. The moment you start… pic.twitter.com/46mQy3SuDo
— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2024
She added, “They used to abuse me verbally when I was a candidate from RK Puram. Durgesh Pathak, who is now an MLA, used to harass me. Satish Dagar was another who was given a councillor ticket… They abused me in words which I cannot speak openly. When I went to Arvind Kejriwal to complain about this, both of them were sitting with Manish Sisodia… Arvind Kejriwal didn’t pay heed to my complaints and asked to approach Manish Sisodia regarding my grievances. At start I felt that Arvind Kejriwal will not be like that but all of them are hand in gloves with each other. I was broken that day.”
Sharing another incident, she added that in Ghaziabad, another AAP leader Devendra Thakur assaulted a woman member/supporter of the party.
BJP leader Shazia Ilmi further asserted that there is “blackmail culture” in AAP. She added, “They even blackmail each other… They have prepared files and dossiers against each other and they blackmail each other. The whole AAP is running on blackmail…”
Regarding the 13th May incident when Swati Maliwal was allegedly assaulted inside Kejriwal’s residence, Shazia Ilmi said, “What Bibhav did with Swati Maliwal, he can’t do such an act without the approval from Arvind Kejriwal and Maliwal also said that she was assaulted on someone else’s instructions. So, indeed this happened on the directions of Arvind Kejriwal.”