Who is Madhu Bhaduri, Ex-AAP Leader Who Spoke Out Against Party in 2014 Over Women's Mistreatment?

New Delhi: As Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attacked Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party Convenor Arvind Kejriwal over Swati Maliwal's assault gate controversy, she recalled Madhu Bhaduri's big charge against the party for 'mistreating its women candidates.'

Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, Sitharaman said, "Madhu Bhaduri used to write resolutions. But in 2014, Bhaduri spoke about AAP and how it was treating women. I am reading out her statement -Aam Aadmi Party has the mentality of a khap panchayat. There is no space for women. If the other women leaders have any self-respect, they will quit too."

The Union Minister further slammed Delhi CMi Kejriwal for not speaking on the issue of the alleged attack on his party MP Swati Maliwal and said he is instead moving around "shamelessly" with accused Bibhav Kumar, PTI reported. Sitharaman demanded Kejriwal to speak on the issue and apologise.

Who is Madhu Bhaduri?

Born in 1945 (as per Wikipedia) in a multicultural family, Bhaduri is an Indian author, documentary filmmaker and diplomat. She was a founding member of the Aam Aadmi Party in 2012 but distanced herself from the party in 2014.

Bhaduri joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1968 and began her diplomatic career in Vienna in 1970. In 1971 she married economics professor Amit Bhaduri and the couple shares two daughters.

In 1974 she worked as a diplomat in Hanoi, in 1981 in Vienna, from 1984 to 1992 in Mexico City and then as consul general in Hamburg until 1996. Later in her career, Bhaduri served as Ambassador of India in Lisbon, Portugal in 2003 until her retirement.

From 2012 to 2014 she was a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Later she resigned from all party positions over the mistreatment of women.

"I have removed myself from the party. The party does not treat women as human beings," Bhaduri said.

She wanted AAP to adopt a resolution demanding an apology to be issued to African women for Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti's raid at a building in south Delhi last month. However, when this offer was struck down, Bhaduri claimed, "The party has changed for the weight of votes. They just want to win the elections."