Rekha Gupta Slams Kejriwal’s ‘Sheeshmahal’ Legacy, Vows Public-Centric Leadership

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday took a dig at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal. Mentioning the ‘sheeshmahal’ controversy, Gupta said that she is not the kind of Chief Minister who “sits and works in a sheeshmahal”.

Gupta made the remarks while speaking to India Today TV News Director Rahul Kanwal. When asked to respond to the notion that she would be easier to “control” as opposed to the men around her and if they had been given the chief ministerial job, Gupta said “only the public” can control them. “The public controls us. We all work for the public. I am not the kind of Chief Minister who sits and works in sheeshmahal. I am the kind of Chief Minister who is present with the public 24×7 and works accordingly. Hence, I am going to be controlled by the public.

The Delhi Chief Minister was also asked how she would address the challenge of the “boys club” in the Delhi cabinet. The question was in reference to BJP giant slayers, including Parvesh Verma – one of Gupta’s six cabinet ministers and who dethroned Kejriwal from the New Delhi seat.

She, however, was diplomatic in her answer, making it clear that they are all “Team Modi” and take the responsibilities given to them seriously.

“Let’s not live under any kind of wrong impression. This massive victory in Delhi has been made possible by the citizens of the capital and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We are Team Modi, and if one of us has been given a responsibility, then we work as a team to fulfil our duties. Had I been on the other side, there wouldn’t have been a single moment when I would have thought about why the responsibility was given to someone else. Team Modi will work as a unit because our destination is Viksit Delhi, and we will work towards that,” she said.