A day after AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal accused her party’s government of “systematically dismantling” the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), two members of the panel have dismissed her allegations as “malicious” and “fictitious.”

In letters to Maliwal, DCW members Firdos Khan and Kiran Negi urged her not to use the struggles of over 700 women employed by the commission for “personal political gains.” These women, working under grant programs, have not received their salaries since November last year.

Maliwal had written to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday, accusing his government of undermining the commission following her resignation as its chief. There has been no immediate response from Maliwal to the letters from Khan and Negi, which were titled: “Request to stop using struggle of 700+ women for personal political gains.”

Maliwal resigned as DCW chairperson after being nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). She had claimed that the commission faced attacks after her resignation, leaving over 700 women without salaries since November 2023.

Negi and Khan countered these claims in their letters, emphasizing that Kejriwal and his government have consistently supported the DCW. They stated that the attacks on the commission began in 2016 and that the Chief Minister and the elected government have always stood by the DCW as a strong shield.

“Ma’am, the attack on the commission from the vested interests of the system has been ongoing since 2016, and the Hon’ble chief minister and the elected government have always stood with the commission as a strong shield,” they wrote.

The members also urged Maliwal to target the Delhi Lieutenant Governor and the actual perpetrators of the attacks, rather than the elected government. They highlighted that Kejriwal has always promoted and backed the DCW, resulting in an increase in its operations.

“It is known to everyone that the Hon’ble chief minister has always promoted DCW from every platform and has worked day and night to empower you as the leading voice of women and girls not only in Delhi but in the entire country,” the letters stated.

Negi and Khan expressed their pain over Maliwal’s accusations against the elected government, despite its unprecedented efforts to strengthen the DCW. They concluded by calling her claims “malicious, misleading, and fictitious.”