Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Swati Maliwal made a new jab at Chief Minister-designate Atishi on Tuesday by claiming that her family was close to the late Delhi University professor Syed Abdul Rahman Gilani, who was acquitted by the Supreme Court of charges related to the 2001 Parliament attack after being given a death sentence by a special court.

According to the AAP MP, Atishi's parents were involved in a 2016 memorial service for Afzal Guru, who was found guilty in the 2001 Parliament attack case, at the Delhi Press Club. Maliwal claims that Syed Abdul Rahman Gilani and Atishi's parents planned the event. Slogans celebrating Afzal Guru and calling for the independence of Kashmir were raised. One such slogan was, "If one Afzal dies, lakhs will be born," according to Rajya Sabha MP.

Swati Maliwal
Image Source: Gondwana University

Swati Maliwal's Role in the Ongoing Political Discourse in Delhi

Maliwal further fuelled the criticism by claiming that Atish's parents were the authors of the article "Arrest and Torture of Syed Geelani." The member of the Rajya Sabha additionally posted screenshots of the item on her official X account, captioning it, "God help Delhi." Earlier on Tuesday, Maliwal attacked the AAP's choice of Atishi to be Delhi's new chief minister, claiming that her family had campaigned to prevent the execution of terrorist Afzal Guru. 2013 saw the execution of Afzal Guru, who was found guilty of his involvement in the 2001 attack on the Parliament.

Arvind Kejriwal resigned from his position as chief minister of Delhi after Atishi defeated Kailash Gahlot on Tuesday. Kejriwal presented Atishi's nomination during the legislature party meeting, which was unanimously accepted by the AAP MLAs. The 43-year-old was born to Delhi University professors Vijay Kumar Singh and Tripta Wahi. She began her political career with the AAP in 2013. She gained popularity in 2015 when she participated in the Jal Satyagraha in the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh.

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