New Delhi: A fresh political controversy erupted in Delhi on Saturday after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Leader of Opposition Atishi questioned the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s husband at an official government meeting. The meeting, reportedly attended by senior officials from the MCD, DJB, PWD, and DUSIB, became the centre of a heated exchange between AAP and BJP leaders after Atishi shared a photograph online.
Taking to social media, Atishi alleged that the Delhi government was being “run by the Chief Minister’s husband,” drawing a parallel to instances in rural governance where elected women sarpanches are overshadowed by their spouses. “This may be the first time in India’s political history that a woman is CM but her husband is running the government,” she said, also hinting at his possible role in rising school fees and frequent power outages.
In a swift rebuttal, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva came to Gupta’s defence, calling Atishi’s comments “insulting” and “undignified.” He asserted that Gupta had earned her position through years of service, starting as a DUSU Secretary, and maintained that family members supporting elected officials was neither uncommon nor unethical.
“It is perfectly normal for Rekha Ji’s husband to support her. If Atishi has any political grace, she should delete the post and apologise,” Sachdeva wrote on X (formerly Twitter). He also cited examples of
AAP leaders involving their spouses in political discourse, referencing Sunita Kejriwal’s public addresses during Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest.