The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday refuted reports that Atishi Marlena, who was declared the party's Lok Sabha candidate from East Delhi constituency, was asked to drop her last name.
Akshay Marathe, joint secretarty, AAP said Atishi was not forced to drop her last name.
"A progressive politician like @AtishiAAP who DOES NOT use her caste name 'Singh' to ask for votes, is being targeted for using only Atishi without 'Marlena' Our discourse is around education and healthcare, not on identities of caste and religion," Marathe tweted.
According to a report in ThePrint, Atishi was asked to drop her second name to dodge rumours that she is a Christian.
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Her Twitter handle has also changed from @Atishimarlena to @AtishiAAP.
Atishi was a former advisor to Delhi's Education Minister Manish Sisodia.
She served as an advisor from July 2015 to April 17, 2018 and was also involved in drafting the manifesto of the party in the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections.
(With inputs from agencies)
