Swati Maliwal’s ‘Draupadi’s Cheerharan’ Post Sparks Controversy as AAP Faces Delhi Defeat

New Delhi: As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prepares to return to power in Delhi after more than 26 years, Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal took a veiled dig at the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday. She posted on X, “Even Ravan’s arrogance couldn’t save him…,” along with a painting depicting Draupadi’s cheer-haran (disrobing) from the Mahabharata, symbolizing betrayal and injustice.

Maliwal, a former close aide of Kejriwal and ex-chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, had a fallout with the AAP leadership last year. The rift deepened after she accused Kejriwal’s personal secretary of misbehaving with her when she went to meet the Delhi CM at his residence. Since then, she has been openly critical of Kejriwal and AAP, alleging that the party has failed to fulfill its promises and has strayed from its original ideals.

Her tensions with the party escalated further on January 30, when she was detained by the police for dumping three mini-truckloads of garbage outside Kejriwal’s former residence in protest. The act was seen as a symbolic attack on AAP’s governance and its handling of civic issues in the capital.

With exit polls predicting a BJP victory and AAP’s influence waning, Maliwal’s latest remarks add to the ongoing political drama. Her cryptic post, hinting at arrogance leading to downfall, has fueled speculation about her next political move and her growing distance from AAP.