BJP hits back after AAP slams Delhi CM’s 'Phulera-style panchayat' governance over husband's meeting presence

A day after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) questioned the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s husband, Manish Gupta, in an official government meeting, posting a photo on X, the ruling BJP hit back saying the Opposition should find something more substantial to attack the CM on.

BJP leader and spokesperson Amit Malviya in an X post said, “The Aam Aadmi Party should find something more substantive in order to target Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. She was holding a review meeting of her constituency, which is managed by her husband — just as Sheila Dikshit’s constituency was managed by her sister Rama Dhawan, and Sunita Kejriwal used to look after Arvind Kejriwal’s.”

Malviya said that unlike former Delhi CM and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal, however, the CM’s husband was not sitting on her chair or issuing illegal orders that senior officers were forced to record on file as “CM Madam has directed.”

“Stop targeting Rekha Gupta just because she is a woman who is doing a good job and making Arvind Kejriwal look more ordinary with each passing day,” Malviya said.

Highlighting the issue on Sunday in a tweet, AAP wrote: “Is Delhi run like a Phulera-style panchayat? CM Rekha Gupta holds a meeting attended by several officials and staff, but a chair is placed next to her for her husband, Manish Gupta.”

The meeting, held at the Chief Minister Jan Seva Sadan, focused on reviewing development works in the Shalimar Bagh constituency.

CM Gupta shared photos from the meeting on her social media accounts.

AAP leaders Saurabh Bhardwaj and Durgesh Pathak questioned the presence of Gupta’s husband in the meeting.