The opposition AAP and the ruling BJP engaged in a verbal sparring match Monday over claims that pictures of Dr. BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh were removed from the Delhi Chief Minister’s Office.
Leading the charge was former Chief Minister Atishi, who posted a photo of herself seated on the Chief Minister’s chair with pictures of Bhagat Singh and BR Ambedkar displayed behind her. Atishi compared this with a picture of Rekha Gupta, the current chief minister, on the same wall as images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, and Mahatma Gandhi.
Soon after, the BJP retaliated by publishing another image of BR Ambedkar’s picture on the wall next to it. Later, a film also featured pictures of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh on the walls next to the Chief Minister’s chair, along with pictures of Mahatma Gandhi, President Murmu, and Prime Minister Modi. “The anti-Dalit mentality of the BJP is well known. Today, proof of its anti-Dalit mentality has been presented. (AAP chief) Arvind Kejriwal had put up photos of Babasaheb Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh in every office of the Delhi government. Since the BJP came to power, it has removed both these photos from the Chief Minister’s office. This shows that the BJP is an anti-Dalit and anti-Sikh party,” Atishi said at a press conference.
Kejriwal expressed her party colleague’s feelings when she claimed that millions of Ambedkar’s supporters had been harmed by the “removal” of the Dalit icon’s picture. “The new BJP government of Delhi removed Babasaheb’s photo and put up the photo of Prime Minister Modi. This is not right. This has hurt millions of followers of Babasaheb. I have a request to the BJP. You can put the photo of the Prime Minister, but do not remove the photo of Babasaheb. Let his photo remain there,” he tweeted.
Chief Minister Gupta, however, claimed that the AAP was using these accusations as a cover for their corruption and wrongdoings while meeting with her ministers and BJP MLAs. “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 Chief Minister of Delhi and as the head of the government, we have given them the space. It is not my work to answer them. I am answerable to the people,” she told.
In one video, pictures of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh were positioned on the adjacent walls, while pictures of Mahatma Gandhi, President Murmu, and Prime Minister Modi were seen hanging behind the chief minister’s chair. The issue occurred during the inaugural session of the Delhi Assembly today, following the February 5 elections that saw the BJP retake power after 27 years and terminate the AAP’s 10-year administration. The House will be presented with the pending CAG reports on the previous AAP government’s performance during the three-day session.
BJP MLA Arvinder Singh Lovely reacted to the AAP’s allegation that pictures of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh were taken down, saying the Kejriwal-led party was “scared” that the CAG reports would be presented during 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. “Today, they are talking about Bhagat Singh and Ambedkar. Whose photos did they remove when they came to power? Bhagat Singh and Ambedkar are revered and so as Mahatma Gandhi. Why did they remove Mahatma Gandhi’s photo then?” Lovely asked.
