Delhi CM Rekha Gupta Hits Back at Critics, Highlights Govt’s Achievements Over AAP Rule

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday defended her government’s record while responding strongly to criticism directed at her, including personal remarks and ridicule over a verbal slip involving the term AQI (Air Quality Index). Speaking during the Winter Session of the Delhi Assembly, Gupta said such comments reflected prejudice rather than genuine concern.

Participating in the Motion of Thanks on the Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena’s address, Gupta remarked that she is often subjected to disrespectful and cheap remarks. “Sometimes they mock me, sometimes they insult me,” she said, adding that the criticism appears to stem from discomfort with a woman who is working tirelessly. “Anyone can make a mistake while speaking or mispronounce a word. I made an error once, but some people act with intent,” she stated.

Sharing a clip of her speech on social media later, the Chief Minister said she has been working continuously for the people of Delhi. “I’ve been working day and night for the city. That is what troubles them. They cannot tolerate it,” she wrote.

Government’s Performance vs Previous AAP Regime

During her address, Gupta compared her government’s performance over the last 11 months with what she termed as “11 years of poor governance, mismanagement, and corruption” under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). She outlined several initiatives undertaken by her administration across key sectors.

In healthcare, she highlighted the rollout of Ayushman Bharat, the Vandana Yojana, hospital digitisation, and the expansion of Jan Aushadhi Kendras to provide affordable medicines.

Focusing on women’s welfare, Gupta cited the establishment of Palna centres aimed at supporting working women.

In the education sector, she said reforms were introduced to address arbitrary practices by private schools and improve accountability.

On infrastructure, the Chief Minister said her government tackled long-pending issues such as inflated hospital project costs, unauthorised electricity connections, and water billing irregularities. Legal metering systems and amnesty schemes were implemented to resolve these problems.

According to Gupta, these steps reflect her administration’s commitment to strengthening health services, education, transport, and infrastructure—areas she claimed were neglected due to inadequate planning by the previous government.