Celebrating 100 days of her govt, Delhi CM pits ‘AAP's misgovernance' vs ‘BJP's public service'

Indian Express

2 days ago

An hour-long conversation between Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and actor Anupam Kher about the initiatives and decisions taken by the BJP government since it was elected in the Capital in February headlined the event held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Saturday to mark 100 days of the party in power. Thousands of people, including senior party leaders, MLAs and ministers, were in attendance at the event where the CM unleashed an attack on the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for making 'false promises' to people and being 'unapproachable'.
Good governance, public welfare, and structural reforms remained the talking points of the session as Gupta highlighted the Centre's support for her government and spoke about the political will to clean Yamuna and make the Capital more livable.
Taking a jibe at former chief minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Gupta claimed her government bridged the gap with bureaucrats. 'Even the bureaucrats and officials were scared to enter the previous CM's office and give their suggestions… Now we are having meetings and discussions with officials daily and taking their opinions on policy making and implementation,' she said.
She yet again targeted Kejriwal for living in a 'lavish bungalow with curtains and TVs worth crores', which was dubbed as 'Sheesh Mahal' or glass palace by PM Narendra Modi during the Delhi Assembly election campaign.
'They made only fake promises for 10-11 years…I am not saying that we have changed the entire city in 100 days…But we are spending time on the ground with people, including their suggestions and making policies and a roadmap for the betterment of Delhi… Till we don't go among them and understand their problems, we cannot change things,' Gupta said.
She added, 'We can't make false promises like cleaning Yamuna and removing the garbage mountains in one year like the previous governments…We will not set a target but show the progress. People will slowly forget the previous government (AAP and Congress), which had made Delhi hell.'
She said that her government has held eight Cabinet meetings since coming to power to discuss key policies and projects, and gave approval to big schemes like the Centre's flagship Ayushman Bharat Yojana, Mahila Samriddhi Yojana, and a comprehensive plan to clean Delhi and mitigate pollution. In a bid to address public grievances, the CM has been holding jan sunwai camps for public grievances. She also outlined the government's achievements and decisions taken in various sectors, including education, health, and transport, like the introduction of a Bill to regulate school fees, the inauguration of DEVI buses, and the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
She also addressed the criticism from the Opposition that has come her way in the last few months. On the delay in delivering the Mahila Samriddhi scheme, which promises a monthly aid of Rs 2,500 to women from economically weaker sections, she said, 'For this, we have allocated a budget of ₹5,100 crore. To ensure proper implementation of this scheme, we have already held six meetings where we are discussing eligibility criteria because we do not want a situation like what happened in (Congress-ruled) Himachal Pradesh or (AAP-ruled) Punjab.'
She also hit out at the AAP for 'breaking public trust' with corrupt practices while accusing the Opposition of spreading rumours about the demolition of slums. 'These rumours are baseless. No slum will be demolished. We have allocated Rs 700 crore to provide basic amenities to people living in slums, which the previous government never did… Every slum dweller will get a permanent house, and until then, they will continue to live in their current slums—but with much better facilities and a dignified standard of living.'
Meanwhile, Anupam Kher, in a post on X, said he met Gupta for the first time at the event. 'It was my pleasure to ask questions to Rekha Gupta ji on behalf of the people of Delhi! In a one-hour session, she answered to the best of her knowledge and with zest. This was the first time I met her and she comes across as a lady who knows what she is talking about! There is a certain earnestness about her. And I hope she retains it,' he posted.
Following a landslide victory in February, the BJP returned to power in the Capital after 27 years, and ended 10 years of AAP rule.