New Delhi: A political row erupted in Delhi on Monday after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged that portraits of B R Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh were removed from Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s office, a charge strongly refuted by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BJP dismissed the allegations, claiming that AAP was attempting to divert attention from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports set to be tabled in the Delhi Assembly, which allegedly exposes corruption during AAP’s tenure.
The Delhi BJP countered AAP’s claims by sharing photos of the chief minister’s office on social media. “The portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh, the President, and the Prime Minister are displayed in the offices of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and other ministers,” the BJP stated.
The controversy stems from a directive issued by former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the eve of Republic Day in 2022. Kejriwal had ordered that only the portraits of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh be displayed in government offices, including the CM’s office, excluding any other political leader’s photo.
Leader of Opposition and former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi raised the matter in the first session of the newly constituted eighth Delhi Assembly, accusing the BJP of disregarding Dalit and Sikh sentiments.
“It is unfortunate that the Delhi Assembly is being led by a party that is anti-Dalit and anti-Sikh. The BJP has removed photographs of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh from the chief minister’s office, showing its anti-Dalit stance,” Atishi alleged in the Assembly.
Addressing a press conference, she displayed an iPad photo of the CM’s office taken earlier in the day. “This is today’s photo when our MLAs went to meet the CM. The photos have been removed, which proves that the BJP is an anti-Dalit and anti-Sikh party,” she claimed.
She further alleged that by removing the portraits, the BJP had “disrespected” Babasaheb and the Sikh community. AAP vowed to protest against the move both on the streets and inside the Assembly.
AAP chief and former CM Arvind Kejriwal also weighed in on the controversy, stating that the move had hurt millions of Ambedkar’s followers.
“The new BJP government of Delhi removed Babasaheb’s photograph and put up a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is not right. This has hurt millions of followers of Babasaheb,” Kejriwal posted on X.
He urged the BJP to allow Ambedkar’s portrait to remain. “You can put up the prime minister’s photograph but do not remove that of Babasaheb. Let it remain,” he added.
Cabinet Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa dismissed the accusations, claiming that AAP was deliberately creating controversy to divert focus from the impending CAG report. “This is being done deliberately by AAP to shift attention away from the CAG report that will be presented tomorrow,” he said.
Sirsa asserted that the CM’s office still displayed pictures of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh, along with those of the prime minister, president, and Mahatma Gandhi. “This move is a clear attempt to distract the public,” he added.
Another BJP minister, Ravinder Indraj, displayed the portraits of Bhagat Singh and Ambedkar inside the Assembly, refuting AAP’s claims. He accused AAP of fearing the CAG report’s revelations. “Most of their leaders were in jail on corruption charges, and they fear that they might have to go again. Once the CAG report is out, they will have to face the consequences again. This is why they are acting out of desperation,” Indraj said.
Cabinet Minister Parvesh Verma accused AAP MLAs of disrupting Assembly proceedings and “intruding” into the CM’s office. “Over the past ten years, the Aam Aadmi Party has done nothing for the upliftment of Delhi. Today they have violated the dignity of the Assembly,” he said.
The controversy continues to escalate, with both parties trading barbs over the issue ahead of the crucial CAG report presentation in the Assembly.
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