File photo of Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has rubbished allegations that he is related to Swati Maliwal, who is being considered by his government to head the Delhi Commission for Women or DCW.
He was responding to his former party colleague Prashant Bhushan's tweet.
Mrs Maliwal, 30, is the wife of Naveen Jaihind, an Aam AAdmi Party leader considered close to chief minister Kejriwal. She has been associated with Mr Kejriwal since his days as an activist of India Against Corruption (IAC), which was a part of the anti-graft agitation led by Gandhian activist Anna Hazare in 2011.
AAP says there is no nepotism. "We have not heard of any decision being taken by the Delhi government in appointing Swati Maliwal as the chairperson of the DCW. However, if this is the case we welcome the move. She has a long history of activism in the field of anti-corruption, RTI and women empowerment," said AAP spokesperson Dilip Pandey.
But the opposition BJP has questioned Mrs Maliwal's qualifications for the job. "Does she fulfil all the criteria of 1994 women act, section 2(3) of which says the chairperson has to be a person who has expertise in issues relating to women?" asked Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay.
In January 2104, AAP had objected to the appointment of the present DCW chief Barkha Singh because she has links with the Congress. She was appointed by the previous Sheila Dikshit government.
Mrs Singh, whose term ends this Friday, has had several run-ins with AAP and its leaders.