Delhi’s new Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, has garnered attention for her past social media posts targeting former CM Arvind Kejriwal, following her election confirmation. Gupta’s supporters have shared these posts to ridicule Kejriwal after the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) defeat, while AAP backers criticize her use of harsh language. YouTuber Tushar Gupta noted that critics are retaliating due to her longstanding opposition to Kejriwal. Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose condemned Gupta’s past remarks, contrasting her with previous leaders like Sheila Dixit. The BJP’s return to power after 26 years presents a shift, focusing on key election promises and governance challenges.
New Delhi:
Delhi’s newly appointed Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s past social media posts, where she criticized former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, are being highlighted by both her supporters and detractors since Wednesday evening, following the announcement of her appointment to the top position.
Supporters of Ms. Gupta, 50, a first-time MLA from the BJP, have shared these old posts to ridicule Mr. Kejriwal’s loss in the Delhi elections after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held power for a decade. Meanwhile, supporters of AAP have pointed out what they characterize as inappropriate language used by Ms. Gupta in her critiques against her political opponent.
Backers of the BJP have noted on social media that Ms. Gupta’s old posts reflect her as a tenacious and vocal critic of Mr. Kejriwal and the prior AAP administration in Delhi, often utilizing memes to taunt the AAP chief.
YouTuber Tushar Gupta, who manages the policy and politics channel ‘The Atom’, commented on X, stating that Ms. Gupta’s past posts are being resurfaced by “haters” because she challenged Mr. Kejriwal when the AAP was perceived as popular in the national capital after winning the assembly elections twice.
“People are criticizing Rekha Gupta, the new Chief Minister of Delhi, by dredging up her old tweets. They overlook the language, and instead are upset that someone dared to respond to Arvind Kejriwal and Company in a manner they understand,” he remarked.
Some AAP supporters have shared deleted screenshots of Ms. Gupta’s old posts criticizing Mr. Kejriwal, pairing them with memes on X (formerly Twitter).
Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose was among the Opposition figures who commented on Ms. Gupta’s past tweets.
“It’s troubling to see reports circulating on social media regarding Delhi’s new Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s history of abusive language and rowdyism. This stands in stark contrast to the diligent and gracious Sheila Dixit and the articulate parliamentarian Sushma Swaraj. This is the ‘new’ BJP where vicious personal attacks have become commonplace,” Ms. Ghose asserted.
A response from X user Nyaksha to the Trinamool MP stated, “The dynamic language was correctly used against corrupt ministers. With that in mind, it remains more appropriate than ‘hamba hamba, bamba bamba, khamba khamba.’
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made the “humba humba” remark in February 2021, targeting former colleagues who had transitioned to the BJP, referencing the sound made by a cow as it walks.
The BJP has regained power in Delhi after a 26-year gap. Its initial actions will include fulfilling key election pledges, sustaining welfare initiatives from the previous AAP government, addressing pollution and infrastructure challenges in Delhi, and cleaning the River Yamuna.
The party secured 48 seats in the 70-member assembly, marking the end of the AAP’s decade-long dominance in Delhi. The AAP managed to win only 22 seats, a significant decline from its stronghold five years ago.