Rekha Gupta was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Delhi, leading the BJP government. Just a day after taking office, Gupta engaged in a verbal spat with her predecessor, Atishi of the AAP, who criticized the BJP for not fulfilling pre-election cash promises to women. Gupta countered by emphasizing that the AAP had ruled for 13 years and questioned their right to critique her administration after just one day. She highlighted the swift cabinet action to clear the Ayushman Bharat Yojana and announced plans to table reports on AAP’s alleged corruption, asserting her commitment to addressing Delhi’s needs.
New Delhi:
The newly formed BJP government in Delhi, with Rekha Gupta sworn in as Chief Minister on Thursday, is barely 24 hours old, yet the verbal sparring with her predecessor, the AAP’s Atishi, has already commenced.
On Friday morning, Ms. Gupta responded to the AAP’s criticisms, also including the Congress, for questioning her administration’s performance after just one day, emphasizing that both had been in power for 13 and 15 years, respectively.
“Instead of assessing their own track record… how can they question us after just one day? We held a cabinet meeting on Day 1, right after the oath, and approved the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, which had been stalled by the AAP,” the new Chief Minister told reporters.
“On our very first day, we provided a benefit of Rs 10 lakhs to the people of Delhi. The AAP has no authority to challenge us. We will prioritize Delhi’s interests now, and under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the city will receive its due rights… They should focus on their own party,” she asserted.
#WATCH | Delhi CM Rekha Gupta stated, “The Congress ruled for 15 years and the AAP for 13. Instead of reflecting on their actions, how can they question our first day?… We held a cabinet meeting right after the oath and approved the… pic.twitter.com/3OJjWRjcUF
— ANI (@ANI) February 21, 2025
Ms. Gupta, a first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh and an unexpected choice for the Chief Minister’s position, also criticized the AAP regarding the election results and cautioned them to prepare for the presentation of Comptroller and Auditor-General of India reports related to alleged corruption during their tenure.
The exchanges followed Atishi’s accusation that the BJP had been “deceiving Delhiites from the very first day.”
This remark pertained to the party’s pre-election promise regarding direct cash transfers to women in Delhi. Atishi claimed that the BJP had guaranteed this would be enacted during the first cabinet meeting but failed to deliver.
भाजपा की दिल्ली सरकार ने पहले दिन से ही दिल्लीवालों को धोखा देना शुरू कर दिया।
चुनाव से पहले पीएम मोदी और सभी भाजपा नेताओं ने वादा किया था कि पहली कैबिनेट में ही दिल्ली की हर महिला को ₹2500/महीना देने की योजना पास करेंगे। लेकिन आज पहली कैबिनेट हुई और इस पर कोई निर्णय नहीं हुआ।… pic.twitter.com/TqxKtvnhPQ
— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) February 20, 2025
“Before the elections, PM Modi and all BJP leaders promised that they would pass a scheme in the first cabinet meeting to provide Rs 2,500 per month to every woman in Delhi. However, during the first cabinet meeting today, no decision was reached on this,” she announced.
The AAP leader also took aim at her successor for failing to fulfill her promise to female voters, a crucial demographic that analysts believe played a significant role in the BJP’s victory in the February 5 elections.
Women voters were the target audience for all three major parties in this election – the BJP, the AAP, and the Congress all included special sections in their manifestos promising financial aid.
READ | AAP, BJP, Congress’ Cash Promises, Chasing ‘Women Power’ In Delhi Poll
Empowered by these commitments, the BJP secured a significant victory in the elections, capturing 48 out of Delhi’s 70 Assembly seats. Comparatively, in the previous two elections, the party only won 11 seats.
The AAP, which had previously secured 67 and 62 seats, managed to win only 22 this time.
The Congress faced its third consecutive defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections.
On Thursday evening, immediately after being sworn in, Ms. Gupta and her six-member cabinet convened their first meeting, during which they approved the central government’s flagship medical insurance program, the Ayushman Bharat – previously challenged in Delhi by the AAP.
The new government also announced its intention to present 14 CAG reports.
NDTV is now accessible on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to receive all the latest updates from NDTV via chat.