Bathinda: Moga AAP MLA Amandeep Kaur Arora has filed a defamation suit in a Moga court against defector Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal over her alleged remarks describing AAP MLAs in Punjab as 'bhed, bakri' (sheep and goats) in a social media post.
Maliwal, once associated with the Aam Aadmi Party and now aligned with BJP, has emerged as a vocal critic of AAP and its national convener Arvind Kejriwal after accusing one of Kejriwal's aides of assaulting her at his Delhi residence last year. She has since frequently targeted the party leadership, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP MLAs through social media posts.
Maliwal was among the Rajya Sabha MPs from Delhi and Punjab who joined BJP last month.
Speaking to TOI, Arora said, 'Political leaders may use harsh language against each other, but after joining BJP, Swati Maliwal started using derogatory words against AAP MLAs. I felt deeply hurt, especially after residents of Moga discussed those remarks. That is why I filed the defamation suit, which will come up for hearing on May 19.'
She said Maliwal had been asked to tender an unconditional apology or face legal proceedings.
'We represent more than 1.5 lakh people and cannot be described in such an insulting manner. Political differences are natural, but public representatives should maintain decorum,' Arora added.
