'Kejriwal is known for gundagardi': Swati Maliwal confirms joining BJP as two-thirds of AAP's Rajya Sabha bloc defects

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered its most devastating parliamentary blow yet on Friday as seven of its Rajya Sabha MPs, including former party loyalist Swati Maliwal and one-time deputy leader Raghav Chadha, formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party — with Maliwal delivering a searing public attack on AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of orchestrating physical assault against her, suppressing her voice in Parliament, and running a party defined by "corruption and gundagardi."

"I have left the AAP and joined the BJP. Since 2006, I have been working with Arvind Kejriwal and supported him during every agitation. However, Arvind Kejriwal had me beaten up by a goon in my own house. I was threatened when I raised my voice against it, and he put immense pressure on me to withdraw the FIR I lodged regarding this incident. I was denied any opportunity by the party to speak in Parliament for two years; this is very shameful. Arvind Kejriwal is anti-women," she said.

Maliwal did not stop at the personal. She levelled a series of broader political charges against the AAP leadership, particularly targeting its governance of Punjab. "Now, they have entered Punjab, and the state government is being remotely controlled, turning Punjab into their personal ATM. Sand mining and drug usage are at a peak in Punjab. FIRs are registered against all those leaders who raise their voices against them. Arvind Kejriwal is known for corruption and gundagardi," she said.

On her reasons for joining the BJP, Maliwal was unequivocal: "I joined the BJP not under any compulsion, but because I believe in the leadership of PM Modi. I urge all those who want to do constructive politics to join the BJP."

The trio joined the BJP in the presence of party national president Nitin Nabin at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, where they were formally welcomed into the fold. Also joining the party were MPs Harbhajan Singh, Vikram Sahney, and Rajinder Gupta — bringing the total number of defecting AAP parliamentarians to seven.

Maliwal, in her remarks, also made a pointed reference to recent national security and legislative milestones under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "Be it during Operation Sindoor, when we killed enemies by entering their homes and ending Naxalism in the nation, or introducing the women's reservation bill in Parliament, PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have taken historic decisions for the development of the nation," she said.

The defections raise immediate questions about AAP's viability as a national force, the durability of its Punjab government, and the personal political future of Arvind Kejriwal himself — a man who, as recently as last year, was one of the most prominent opposition voices in Indian public life.