Swati Maliwal, the Rajya Sabha MP of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and former Delhi Women Commission (DCW) chief, was in touch with BJP leaders and that she was made to “hatch this conspiracy” using an old Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) case as leverage, Delhi minister Atishi claimed on Saturday.

Maliwal has accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s PA Bibhav Kumar of assaulting her at the official residence of the CM on May 13.

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“The way ED, CBI, anti-corruption bureau, Income tax dept, Economic Offences Wing were used to blackmail opposition leaders and make them join BJP, similarly in the Swati Maliwal case the same formula was used. There is a case against Swati Maliwal by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, an FIR has been made and a probe is underway and using this, Swati Maliwal was made to hatch this conspiracy and was used as a pawn,” Atishi told a news agency.

AAP MLA and Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj also suggested the ACB case was behind her allegations against Kejriwal’s PA.

“When a woman makes such allegations, it seems that there will be some truth in her words. We also felt the same in the case of Swati Maliwal ji, but when the video of the drawing room of the CM residence came out yesterday, something different is visible in it. In the video, Swati ji is seen threatening the Delhi Police officers. The allegations of assault and tearing of clothes that she is making are not visible in that video. She is sitting comfortably. BJP’s ACB has filed a case against Swati ji and the decision in that is still awaited. Senior BJP leaders are also in touch with Swati ji,” Bhardwaj said.

Maliwal has filed a case against Bibhav Kumar. In her complaint, she alleged that Kumar punched her in the chest and kicked her on stomach and in the pelvis area on May 13 when she went to Kejriwal’s residence.

A day after her allegations, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh admitted that Bibhav Kumar misbehaved with Maliwal and that a strict action will be taken against him.

However, a purported video of the Maliwal threatening Delhi police personnel deployed in Kejriwal’s security and abusing his PA Bibhav Kumar brought a new twist in the case.

In the video, Maliwal is seen sitting on a sofa at the drawing room of the Delhi CM’s official residence. She then threatens the officers on duty and allegedly abuses Kumar.

The Statesman doesn’t vouch for the authenticity of the video.