Less than 24 hours after being sworn in, Delhi’s newly elected Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are locked in a war of words over pre-poll promises and governance issues.
On Friday morning, Gupta hit back at the AAP and the Congress for questioning her administration on its very first day in office. She pointed out that both parties had ruled Delhi for 13 and 15 years, respectively, and had no grounds to criticize the BJP’s first actions.
“How can they question us after just one day? We held a Cabinet meeting immediately after taking the oath and passed the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, which had been blocked by the AAP. This scheme will provide a benefit of Rs 10 lakh to Delhiites. The AAP has no right to question us. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, we will ensure Delhi gets what it deserves,” Gupta told reporters.
15 साल कांग्रेस, 13 साल AAP-दा…दिल्ली को बैकफुट पर धकेलने वाले अब एक दिन में सवाल पूछ रहे हैं!
शपथ लेते ही पहली कैबिनेट बैठक में आयुष्मान भारत लागू कर हमने दिल्लीवासियों को उनका हक दिया, जो AAP-दा वालों ने वर्षों से रोक रखा था।
मा. प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी के नेतृत्व… pic.twitter.com/uu22QG0JeI
— Rekha Gupta (@gupta_rekha) February 21, 2025
Gupta, a first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh and a surprise choice for Chief Minister, also took a swipe at the AAP over its election defeat. She warned the opposition to brace for the tabling of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports, which, she claimed, would expose corruption during the AAP’s tenure.
Atishi Accuses BJP of Deception
The remarks were in response to Atishi’s criticism of the BJP for allegedly “deceiving Delhiites from the very first day.” Atishi accused the BJP of failing to fulfill its promise of direct cash transfers to women in its first Cabinet meeting.
“Before the elections, PM Modi and BJP leaders promised that in their first Cabinet meeting, they would pass a scheme to give Rs 2,500 per month to every woman in Delhi. But no decision was made on this,” she said.
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Atishi emphasized that this promise had played a major role in the BJP’s success, especially in securing votes from women, and accused Gupta of breaking trust with female voters.
BJP’s Landmark Victory in Delhi Elections
Women voters were a major focus for all three major parties—BJP, AAP, and Congress—each of which included cash assistance promises in their manifestos. The BJP’s pledge seemingly resonated the most, helping the party secure a landslide victory in the February 5 Delhi Assembly election.
The BJP won 48 of Delhi’s 70 seats, a stark contrast to its performance in the last two elections, where it secured only 11 seats. Meanwhile, the AAP, which had dominated previous polls with 67 and 62 seats, was reduced to just 22. The Congress was once again decimated.
BJP’s First Cabinet Decisions
On Thursday evening, shortly after taking charge, Ms. Gupta and her six-member Cabinet held their first meeting. The key decision was to implement the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme in Delhi—something the AAP had resisted.
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The new administration also announced plans to table 14 long-pending CAG reports related to alleged financial mismanagement by the previous government.
While the BJP celebrates its first policy moves, the opposition is already on the offensive, setting the stage for intense political clashes in the coming weeks.
