No one forced Atishi to 'drop' her last name 'Marlena': AAP

New Delhi, Aug 28: AAP's Joint Secretary refuted the report published by news portal The Print saying no one has forced Atishi to 'drop' her last name 'Marlena'.

The Print quoting a source reports, "Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member Atishi Marlena, who was declared the party's East Delhi Lok Sabha candidate Monday, has dropped 'Marlena' from her Twitter handle and publicity material to dodge rumours that she is a Christian." @AtishiMarlena will now be @AtishiAAP on Twitter.

Akshay Marathe, Joint Secretary, AAP, tweeted, " Malicious reporting by @ThePrintIndia once again - no one has forced Atishi to 'drop' her last name. She has always been Atishi. Marlena was a given name, while her surname is Singh. Instead of reporting on her office launch, Print is interested in communal stories."

"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 further tweeted.