‘Pants torn, car driven to Rs 100-crore house’: Swati Maliwal mocks Arvind Kejriwal after AAP exit

New Delhi: Former aide Arvind Kejriwal Swati Maliwal, now the BJP leader, on Saturday made stinging accusations against her former boss, claiming that before becoming chief minister, he wore “torn trousers”, used a “two-rupee pen” and “drove around in a dilapidated car” but after coming to power in Delhi, “he built a house worth Rs 10 crore.“In an interview with news agency ANI, Maliwal contrasted what she described as two distinct phases of Kejriwal’s life. Her remarks came a day after Raghav Chadha led a revolt against the opposition leadership and merged 2/3 of AAP’s power in the upper house with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).Maliwal was one of those who joined the separatists.Maliwal attacked without restraint: “If anyone is a traitor, it is Arvind Kejriwal. When he started acting, he was wearing torn trousers, using a two-rupee pen and driving around in a completely dilapidated car. We were all inspired that this man was going to make a difference in this country. “She went on to criticize: “During the movement, he showed the entire country so many big and sweet dreams and the whole country was impressed. But what did he do? As soon as he came to power, he built a house worth Rs 10 crore. He added a bar, laid carpets worth crores and bought refrigerators worth billions of rupees. His sofa was too luxurious. Now, after the people of Delhi defeated him, he has moved to Punjab.”“She also targeted the AAP government in Punjab under the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mannalleging abuse of power and resources. “They are treating Punjab as an ATM. The man they beat up on me was given Z+ security cover. Today, he has been appointed as chief advisor to Bhagwant Mann… The man who had spoken out against the VIP agreement, when his convoy set out, we counted 50 cars but there were more than 50. So, what constitutes treason? I call violations of core principles treason. There is no greater traitor than Arvind Kejriwal...”The dramatic exit of seven AAP Rajya Sabha members on Friday dealt a major blow to the party leadership. Like Chadha, leaders also like Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal announced they were quitting the party, which was born out of an anti-corruption movement led by activist Anna Hazare in 2012.