‘All may not get to fight at border, but fight social evils’: Delhi CM

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta urged citizens to contribute to national development and fight social evils, likening their role to soldiers at the border.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday, saying all citizens may “not get an opportunity to die for the country at the border”, exhorted Delhi residents to contribute towards national development and “fight social evil” at home on the lines of soldiers fighting for the country.

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta. (HT Photo)

Speaking at a conference and annual accolades ceremony for women doctors at the India International Centre, she said: “We are all hearing about the developments on the borders...Lakhs of jawans are protecting you and me on the borders and we naturally feel like contributing to it... but we will not get a chance to go on the border or to shoot at the enemy...we will not get the opportunity to die for the country but all of us have the opportunity to live for it. From this moment onwards, start living for the country...just like country’s soldier are fighting on the border, we have the responsibility to fight the social evils and bad customs in our society...”

She underlined the need to view each citizen as a national asset. “If every one of our 140 crore people works with dedication, some for their families, and some for the country, India will certainly move forward,” she said.

She also lauded the contribution of mothers and doctors to society on the occasion of Mother’s Day, calling them the two pillars of life. “One battle is fought at the border, carried on our soldiers’ shoulders. But the other lies within society, against bad habits, unhealthy practices and negative thinking. That too, we must fight.”

Gupta also spoke about the growing concern of obesity, especially among women, and emphasised the importance of prioritising health and diet.

“Obesity must end. Women often focus on caring for everyone else, but during Covid-19, I realised that we must take care of ourselves first,” she said. “After God, if there’s anyone we place our trust in, it’s our mothers and our doctors — one gives us life, and the other saves it.”

Encouraging women to take charge of their well-being, she praised the government’s efforts to make fitness accessible, highlighting the installation of open gyms in parks across the city. “If there’s a need, we will set up more such gyms. Our vision is a healthy India, and the foundation starts with healthy families,” she said.

Earlier in the day, Gupta attended the 36th Rath Yatra at Shree Mahaveer Digambar Jain Mandir in Pitampura.