Swati Maliwal took her oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha on January 31. She took the oath on the first day of the Budget Session 2024 with Satnam Singh Sandhu and Narain Dass Gupta. Member of AAP, Maliwal was elected unopposed from Delhi on January 5.
Speaking about her experience, Maliwal said, "Today is a big day for me. Today I took an oath that my life will be dedicated to the country... I am an activist, and I will always be an activist. I will always raise the issues from the ground level...If all the MPs of the opposition are suspended then who will question the government? So suspending the opposition MPs is a sad thing..."
However, Maliwal had to take her oath twice. This is because she exclaimed "Inquilab Zindabad" in her first oath which was then objected to by BJP leader Piyush Goyal. So her name called out again to take the oath.
Her major responsibility as an MP
A day before she took the oath, Maliwali had said that she was very excited about being elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha. She added, "I am very excited. As a first-time MP, I have a huge responsibility. I feel that I have always been an activist, and will continue to remain one. I will raise grassroots issues and I am looking forward to it." Having worked as an activist, Maliwal said that as an MP she will continue to raise the issue of women's safety and their participation in the workforce.
"My first question is why 51 FIRs are registered every hour over crimes against women. An eight-month-old girl is raped in Delhi and even an 85-year-old woman,” she said adding that the punishments for these crimes should be decided systematically.
She further talked about Brij Bhushan, Bilkis Bano and said, "Why is Brij Bhushan still in Parliament? Why were Bilkis Bano’s rapists freed?... Why do women form only 23 per cent of the workforce? Raising these questions will be my priority."
Who is Swati Maliwal
Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Swati Maliwal, who has earlier worked with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as his advisor on public grievances before joining DCW has been nominated by AAP as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections along with its two other members. Maliwal has reportedly stepped down from her position as DCW Chief.
The political party has also signed Sanjay Singh and ND Gupta for their renomination from the party for their second term in the Upper House of the Parliament despite Singh serving his punishment in jail as summoned by ED in connection with a case of Delhi excise policy.
Swati Maliwal Nominated For Rajya Sabha
On Friday, the announcement of the party's candidates for representing the party in Rajya Sabha was made by AAP's political affairs committee (PAC) as it nominated DCW chief Swati Maliwal amongst two other candidates. Her nomination to the Rajya Sabha is seen as a move by the AAP to strengthen its focus on women's issues. The party has been working to make Delhi a safer city for women, and Maliwal's appointment is likely to give it a boost in this effort. Women's rights activists have also welcomed her nomination. They believe she will be a strong voice for women in the Rajya Sabha.
Maliwal, a lawyer and an activist, has been a vocal advocate for women's rights. She has been at the forefront of several campaigns against sexual harassment and violence against women. Hence, many women activists have expressed their confidence in Maliwal as a valuable addition to the Rajya Sabha for her qualities of always speaking up for what is right. While Maliwal has been nominated for the first time as a candidate to represent in Rajya Sabha, the party has decided to continue with Sanjay Singh and ND Gupta for their second term as upper house members. Sanjay Singh who is serving imprisonment after being summoned by ED in a case of Delhi excise police has been granted permission by the Delhi Court to sign the renomination papers from jail.
The AAP currently has three members in the Rajya Sabha and Maliwal's nomination will take the party's strength in the upper house to four. The Rajya Sabha elections are scheduled to be held in Delhi on January 19.
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