Tue Sep 17 16:44:02 UTC 2024: ## Delhi’s New Chief Minister Faces Backlash Over Family’s Stand on Afzal Guru

**New Delhi, India:** Atishi, the newly elected Chief Minister of Delhi, has come under fire from Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal for her family’s past advocacy against the execution of Afzal Guru, the convicted terrorist in the 2001 Parliament attack. Maliwal, who has a strained relationship with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), alleged that Atishi’s parents, Delhi University professors Vijay Kumar Singh and Tripta Wahi, signed a mercy petition to the President in 2013, seeking to save Guru from the gallows.

Maliwal, in a series of tweets, accused Atishi’s family of believing Guru was innocent and framed in a political conspiracy. She deemed the appointment of Atishi as CM “a very sad day for Delhi” and raised concerns about national security, stating, “May God protect Delhi!”.

Atishi’s mother, in an old video, voiced her displeasure over Guru being made a “scapegoat.” In response to the controversy in 2019, Atishi clarified that her parents are responsible for their own political decisions and that she personally did not support their stance.

AAP MLA Dilip Pandey, defending Atishi, urged Maliwal to resign from the Rajya Sabha, accusing her of following a BJP script despite being elected with AAP support.

Atishi, the sole woman minister in the previous Delhi Cabinet, was chosen as the next Chief Minister after a unanimous vote by AAP MLAs following Arvind Kejriwal’s announcement of his resignation, citing his bail in the Delhi liquor policy case.

Atishi, a veteran AAP member, started her political journey in 2013 and holds several key portfolios in the Delhi government. The controversy over her family’s stance on Afzal Guru is sure to be a focal point as she takes on the mantle of leading Delhi.

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