I’m used to battling storms, says Delhi CM during SRCC event

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta vows not to be intimidated after an attack, citing her resilience and commitment to expanding access to traditional medicine.

Days after being attacked during a public event, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday declared again that she would not be intimidated, saying she was “used to battling storms” since her early political days.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta during the 99th Annual Day of Shri Ram College of Commerce at North Campus, Delhi University on Saturday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Speaking at the annual function of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), where she was chief guest, Gupta recalled a moment from her student years.

“We were protesting when I was DUSU president and had to burn an effigy. Someone used petrol instead of kerosene. The effigy turned into a fireball, my face was burnt, and I suffered for a month and a half. I was just a college student, but I felt I could not stop. I had to keep working,” she said.

“Today, my strength comes from the blessings of the people of Delhi. I will not be scared of demonic forces,” she said.

On Wednesday, Gupta was physically assaulted at a weekly public hearing at her Civil Lines residence by a 41-year-old man from Rajkot, Gujarat, who posed as a complainant before lunging at her.

In a separate event on Saturday, Gupta highlighted the importance of traditional medicine systems, particularly Ardhnarishwar Chikitsa – Neurotherapy – calling them integral to India’s ancient heritage and increasingly relevant today.

“Such therapies often succeed where modern medicine falls short,” Gupta said, addressing the 14th Wellness Neurotherapy Day organised by Aarogya Peeth at Shri Guru Ram Rai Udasin Ashram Auditorium in Aram Bagh.

She announced that the Delhi government was committed to expanding access to neurotherapy. “We will develop better facilities, establish new centres and ensure more people benefit from this system of treatment. The government will take concrete measures based on suggestions received,” she added.