The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has called for the resignation of Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal following her critical comments about Atishi, who has been named Delhi's next Chief Minister. Senior AAP leader Dilip Pandey accused Maliwal of acting on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) despite being elected to the Rajya Sabha by the AAP.

"Swati Maliwal accepts the Rajya Sabha seat from the AAP but follows the BJP's script. If she has any integrity, she should resign and seek a Rajya Sabha seat from the BJP," Pandey stated.

The controversy began with Maliwal's recent remarks criticizing the appointment of Atishi, who is set to replace Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi’s Chief Minister. Maliwal's criticism follows a significant rift between her and the AAP, exacerbated by her previous allegations of assault against Bibhav Kumar, an aide to Kejriwal.

In a social media post, Maliwal condemned Atishi's appointment, claiming it was a “sad day for Delhi” and accusing Atishi’s family of trying to prevent the execution of terrorist Afzal Guru. Maliwal described Atishi as a “dummy CM” and suggested that her family was involved in a political conspiracy.

"Today is very sad for Delhi. A woman whose family tried to save terrorist Afzal Guru from being hanged is becoming the Chief Minister. Her family wrote mercy petitions for Afzal Guru,” Maliwal posted.

Atishi, currently Delhi's Education Minister, has not yet responded to Maliwal’s statements. The rift between Maliwal and the AAP intensified after allegations of victim-shaming related to the March incident involving Kumar’s arrest. Kejriwal has stated that a fair investigation is necessary given the conflicting accounts of the incident.