CM hits out at Kejriwal’s ‘Sheesh Mahal’

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday accused her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal of squandering public money on his “Sheesh Mahal” residence, while she set out her government’s agenda of cleaner governance, flood control and green mobility. She pledged that every rupee spent on the bungalow would be recovered with interest and returned to the treasury.

Gupta was speaking at the Infra Confluence 2025 at The Ashok Hotel, inaugurated by Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Ltd MD Arun Kumar Goel, RSS ideologue Mukul Kanitkar and the CM herself.

In her address “Delhi-NCR: Endless Possibilities”, Gupta said her administration had delivered visible change in six months, especially in preventing the kind of flooding that had devastated the capital in 2023. “For decades, governments have ignored the issue of waterlogging. But, even with the heaviest rainfall in 15 years, Delhi this year kept the water within the Yamuna floodplains and protected its people. Those living in the floodplains were relocated to safer grounds,” she said.

Setting her sights on environmental reforms, Gupta announced that by 2026, the city’s transport network would run fully on electric vehicles. “We are encouraging citizens to switch to EVs. The previous governments failed to address pollution, but we are fully prepared,” she said.

She also ridiculed the Aam Aadmi Party’s flagship Mohalla Clinics, calling them “PR cabins” that offered no real healthcare. “There were no medicines, no injections and doctors were reduced to daily wagers. In contrast, the new Arogya Mandirs will provide full medical services to all, including senior citizens. Of the 1,100 being built, not one has a leader’s face on the walls,” she said.

Gupta framed her government’s next steps as a transformation drive to position Delhi as an education and IT hub. “Delhi has already won, now Delhi’s people will also feel they have won,” she added.