11 years vs 11 months: BJP and AAP trade charges over Delhi pollution

Noting that her government has prioritised health, education, transport and infrastructure, CM Gupta also argued that Delhi’s basic services have deteriorated over the years due to lack of planning.

New Delhi: Chief minister Rekha Gupta during the Winter Assembly session on Friday claimed that the Opposition is not being able to accept a woman CM, pointing at the alleged mockery she has been facing.

Chief minister Rekha Gupta during the Winter Assembly session on Friday (HT/HT PHOTO)

“They do not like the fact that a woman is the Chief Minister of Delhi. Disagreement is integral to democracy but gender-based ridicule is unacceptable,” she said, adding that while human errors can occur, the deliberate mockery she is facing has crossed the limits of political decorum.

Further, she said the address by LG VK Saxena was a roadmap for a new model based on coordination and outcomes, rather than confrontation. She contrasted her government’s 11 months in office with “11 years of mismanagement and corruption” under the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) regime.

Noting that her government has prioritised health, education, transport and infrastructure, she also argued that Delhi’s basic services have deteriorated over the years due to lack of planning.

“The Ayushman Bharat scheme was rolled out on our first day in office, with over four lakh registrations and the Vandana Yojana for senior citizens, under which over ₹32 crore claims have already been settled. Digitisation through a Hospital Information Management System has curbed corruption by enabling online OPDs and digital records,” the CM said.

She also listed initiatives taken by the BJP government in Delhi, such as new dialysis machines, Jan Aushadhi Kendras, filling of nursing posts, setting up of palna centres for working women and monthly assistance for persons with severe disabilities. In education, she said the Delhi School Education Act, 2025, was aimed at curbing arbitrary practices by private schools, while clarifying that no school named after BR Ambedkar had been renamed.

Targeting the AAP-led previous Delhi government, Gupta alleged massive cost overruns in hospital projects, irregular electricity connections in nearly 150,000 properties and irrational water bills. She said her government had addressed these through legal metering, an amnesty scheme for water dues and time-bound GST refunds to traders.

Reiterating that cleaning the Yamuna remains a priority, Gupta said outdated sewage treatment plants are being repaired and new ones planned, while road infrastructure is being upgraded through wall-to-wall re-carpeting.

“Despite the Opposition’s barbs, our government will continue to focus on delivery, dignity and transparent governance,” she added.

Speaking on the proposal to introduce the entire Vande Mataram song in the assembly, the CM pointed out that the song is an expression of India’s soul, saying it continues to unite the nation in duty, respect and national consciousness even 150 years after it was composed.

Further, she noted that the song, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, gained prominence during the freedom struggle.

Responding to Gupta’s “woman CM” claim, Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bhardwaj posted on X that the CM made a failed attempt to play the “woman card”.

“This is the same CM who herself spread hatred against former Delhi CM Atishi by lying. For the past two days, protests have been staged against a woman to propagate falsehoods. The BJP is running vulgar and offensive posters. Did the BJP, Kapil Mishra, Manjinder Sirsa, and Rekha Gupta ever think that Atishi is also a woman?,” Bhardwaj wrote in a post on X.