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The AAP and the ruling BJP in Delhi sparred over the removal of photos of Dr Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh from Chief Minister’s Office.
The BJP soon refuted the claims and said the photos of Dr Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh were there in the CM office.
A political tussle broke out between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday after the latter alleged that the BJP-led Delhi government replaced the photos of Dr BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh with those of Mahatma Gandhi, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from the Chief Minister’s office.
However, the BJP soon refuted the claims and said the photos of Dr Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh were there in the CM office.
What AAP Claimed?
Delhi assembly LoP and former CM Atishi accused the BJP of being “anti-dalit” and “anti-sikh” and shared the photos of Ambedkar and Singh on display when she was in office and another with the images of Mahatma Gandhi, Murmu and PM Modi with Gupta in the office.
“BJP has shown its true anti-Dalit and anti-Sikh face. Photos of Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar and Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh have been removed from the Chief Minister’s Office of Delhi Legislative Assembly,” she said in a post on X.
भाजपा ने अपना असली दलित विरोधी और सिख विरोधी चेहरा दिखा दिया है। दिल्ली विधान सभा के मुख्यमंत्री कार्यालय से बाबासाहेब भीम राव अंबेडकर और शहीद-ए-आज़म भगत सिंह की तस्वीरें हटा दी गईं है pic.twitter.com/Zdq1Xxa7bW— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) February 24, 2025
“The anti-Dalit mentality of the BJP is well known. Today, proof of its anti-Dalit mentality has been presented. Kejriwal had put up photos of Babasaheb Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh in every office of the Delhi government. Since the BJP has come to power, it has removed both these photos from the Chief Minister’s office,” she later said at a press conference.
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal further echoed Atishi’s allegations saying that the ‘removal’ of Ambedkar’s photo had hurt million of his followers.
दिल्ली की नई बीजेपी सरकार ने बाबा साहेब की फोटो हटाकर प्रधान मंत्री मोदी जी की फोटो लगा दी। ये सही नहीं है। इस से बाबा साहेब के करोड़ो अनुयायियों को ठेस पहुँची है।मेरी बीजेपी से प्रार्थना है। आप प्रधान मंत्री जी की फोटो लगा लीजिए लेकिन बाबा साहिब की फोटो तो मत हटाइए। उनकी फोटो… https://t.co/k9A2HKFECV
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 24, 2025
BJP Refutes Claim
The saffron camp soon rebutted AAP’s claim and said the Delhi government did not remove any photos of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh.
The party’s Delhi unit shared a photo of Delhi CMO on its X handle showing the portraits of both the freedom fighters in the office. However, they have been placed at a different space.
“The chambers of the Chief Minister of Delhi, Mrs @gupta_rekha and all the ministers are adorned with the pictures of revered Mahatma Gandhi, Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh, His Excellency the President and the Prime Minister,” it said.
दिल्ली की मुख्यमंत्री श्रीमती @gupta_rekha एवं सभी मंत्रियों के कक्ष में श्रद्धेय महात्मा गांधी जी, बाबा साहेब भीमराव अंबेडकर जी, भगत सिंह जी, महामहिम राष्ट्रपति जी एवं प्रधानमंत्री जी के चित्र सुशोभित हैं। pic.twitter.com/zx6puyqr1w— BJP Delhi (@BJP4Delhi) February 24, 2025
CM Rekha Gupta further lashed out at AAP saying that it is the “tactic” of the Kejriwal-led party to “hide their corruption and misdeeds behind Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh”.
“This is their tactic to hide their corruption and misdeeds behind Babasaheb Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh…Should the photo of the Head of Government not be put up? Should the photo of the President of the country not be put up? Should the photo of Father of the Nation Gandhi ji not be put up? Bhagat Singh and Babasaheb are respectable personalities of the country and our guide. So, this room is of the CM of Delhi and as the Head of the Govt, we have given them the space. It is not my work to answer them, I am answerable to the people…” she said as quoted by news agency ANI.
#WATCH | On Delhi LoP Atishi’s allegations of removal of pictures of Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar & Bhagat Singh from the CM Office, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta says, “This is their tactic to hide their corruption and misdeeds behind Babasaheb Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh…Should… pic.twitter.com/7B86vtxgdb— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2025
Deputy CM Parvesh Singh Verma said, “These AAP-da people have one work – do not do ant development in Delhi. They had 10 years of time. But they made things worse in Delhi. Today too, they harmed the sanctity of the House. The House is based on the trust of the people of Delhi. They have a lot of expectations…I would like to tell AAP-da and entire Opposition that work so that there is development in Delhi, if there are good suggestions we will accept that. Help us in making Delhi, ‘Viksit Dilli’…”
BJP MLA Arvinder Singh Lovely accused the Kejriwal-led party of being “scared” as the CAG reports would be tabled in the Assembly session.
“These people are just scared of CAG reports. That is why they are creating chaos. They don’t have any issue but they can’t escape it (discussion on CAG reports),” he said.
The BJP returned to power in Delhi after 26 years, ending the AAP government’s decade-long rule. It ousted AAP from power winning 48 of the 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly, in the polls held earlier this month.
(With inputs from agencies)
- Location :
Delhi, India, India
