Split in Delhi Commission for Women over Kumar Vishwas 'affair' row

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party's senior leader Kumar Vishwas, accused by a party volunteer of not rebutting "rumours" about an illicit liaison with her and ruining her reputation, did not appear before the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Tuesday.

However, the high-voltage drama that unfolded during DCW press conference grabbed more eyeballs than Kumar Vishwas' absence.

As Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Barkha Shukla Singh almost finished her press conference, a dramatic twist took place when another commission member, sitting next to Singh, told the media personnel that it was the case of political conspiracy against Kumar Vishwas.

Barkha Shukla Singh immediately tried to stop Juhi Khan from making a statement in this regard and said that the DCW member had recently shifted her political allegiance to the AAP from Congress. Singh alleged that the AAP sent Khan to disrupt this press conference as the lady was not scheduled to sit next to her. Khan later said she has resigned from the women's panel.

Before the dramatic twist, Singh told the press conference that she has heard Vishwas is leaving for USA tomorrow. “Is going to USA more important than helping this lady reconcile with her family,” asked Singh.

She also refuted the AAP leader's claim that he has not received any summon from DCW yet. She said the summon, sent on Saturday, was received at the AAP leader's Vasundhara residence. Vishwas is lying if he is claiming that he has not received the summon, added Singh.

She further said that another summon has been sent to Kumar Vishwas, which asks him to appear before the DCW tomorrow (Wednesday, May 06) at 12 noon.

If he does not appear again, the DCW will sent the complaint to the Delhi Police, said Singh.

“Kumar Vishwas should come and meet us because this matter needs to be solved," said the women's panel chief.

Talking to Zee Media, Khan said it is not fair to harm someone's reputation just on the basis of a complaint. “One should have a concrete evidence against someone as it takes ages to build reputation. In this case, there is no proof against Kumar Vishwas,” added Khan.

When asked if she was a member of AAP, as alleged by the DCW chief, Khan just said the Arvind Kejriwal-led party was good. Despite insistence, she chose not to speak clearly whether she was an AAP member.

Khan, however, later told ANI, "I am just as connected to AAP as you are. You might have voted for AAP, so have I. I am not in regular touch with any AAP members. DCW is a constitutional body, it should be above party politics. The press conference was politically motivated by Congress and BJP."

Earlier this morning, when enquired if he would appear before the DCW, Vishwas had denied receiving any notice and then angrily asked media personnel if they don't have “sisters and mothers at home”. He further took a dig at the complainant's husband, telling the media to approach the man who “needs someone else to issue a character certificate for his own wife.”

Hitting out at the BJP, Vishwas said if the party's “dirty mind department” thinks that they can get away with character assassination, they are wrong. 

Another Aam Aadmi Party leader Somnath Bharti on Tuesday took to microblogging website Twitter to reiterate that Kumar Vishwas has not received DCW notice as yet. 

So far @DrKumarVishwas has not received the notice from DCW n on its receiving v will decide next course of action. @AamAadmiParty — Adv. Somnath Bharti (@attorneybharti) May 5, 2015

Wonder what happened to the complaint filed against me with DCW. Wish that DCW should focuss on actually distressed women n genuine cases. — Adv. Somnath Bharti (@attorneybharti) May 5, 2015

The DCW had issued summons to Vishwas, considered close to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and his wife, after a volunteer approached it seeking its intervention in forcing the AAP leader to dispel "rumours" about an illicit liaison with her.

The woman, who claimed to have campaigned for Vishwas in Amethi in 2014 Lok Sabha elections, said she had also written separate letters to Kejriwal and Police Commissioner BS Bassi on the issue but neither of them have responded.

Facing the heat, Vishwas, a member of AAP's Political Affairs Committee, said the allegations against him were false and baseless.

The Delhi Police said it has already registered an FIR and investigation was underway on the complaint filed by the woman.

In an exclusive conversation with Zee Media, the woman said, "Just because of this allegation my husband has left me. I have two kids. I belong to a middle class family where they feel that since Kumar Vishwas is AAP spokesperson and a known face, maybe there was something between the two of us.”

"I am unable to explain. That's why I want Kumar Vishwas to clarify this but he is not doing so. That's why I had to approach the Women's Commission."

The woman also alleged receiving threatening call from a certain "close aide" of Vishwas and sought police protection.

"I received a call at around 10.30 pm last night and I was threatened. Shail, who made the call, stays with Vishwas and manages his party work.”

"Since I have been threatened, I would also want police protection. However, I haven't made any formal demand in this regard yet because the call came late night," she said.

The woman claimed after her complaint to the Women's Commission, people from the AAP leader's side were putting in efforts to get in touch with her.

She castigated Kejriwal, saying, "You claim to protect the country's women but you cannot even protect your own party's female worker".

The ruling AAP in Delhi has been battling internal strife apart from a string of controversies including over the educational qualification of its law minister and suicide of a farmer at a rally here in Jantar Mantar last month.

Does 'illicit relationship' row break the myth created by AAP of being 'holier than thou'? in Nation on LockerDome