Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has strongly criticised what she described as persistent trolling, “cheap comments,” and baseless allegations directed at her over minor verbal slips, asserting that such attacks reflect discomfort with a woman chief minister who works round the clock. Speaking in the Delhi Assembly during the Winter Session, Gupta said she was being unfairly targeted for mispronouncing words and accidentally misspeaking, while deliberate political distortions by her critics were ignored.

Her remarks came amid sustained criticism from opposition leaders, particularly from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), following two recent incidents: her mispronunciation of the term AQI (Air Quality Index) as “AIQ,” and a controversial verbal slip in which she referred to Bhagat Singh’s revolutionary action as being directed against a “Congress government” instead of the British colonial administration.

‘They Don’t Like a Woman CM Working 24×7’

Addressing the Assembly on Friday while participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena’s address, Gupta accused her detractors of focusing on trivial errors rather than governance.

“They say why did she spell AQI as AIQ. They don’t like the fact that a woman Chief Minister is working 24/7. Sometimes they disrespect me, sometimes they make cheap comments,” Gupta said on the Assembly floor.

She further alleged that opposition leaders and social media critics amplify such slips to undermine her credibility. “They make baseless allegations. They make fun of the words I accidentally utter. Anyone can make mistakes while speaking or mispronounce certain words. I made a mistake. But you did things deliberately,” she added, drawing a distinction between inadvertent errors and what she claimed were intentional political distortions.

Gupta later shared a video clip of her speech on social media, reiterating that she had been working “day in, day out” for Delhi. “And that’s what gets to them. They can’t stand it. They can’t handle it,” she wrote, framing the criticism as rooted in political insecurity rather than substance.

The Bhagat Singh Gaffe and Political Backlash

The controversy intensified earlier this week when Gupta, while speaking about Delhi’s revolutionary history in the Assembly, mistakenly referred to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev as having thrown a bomb against a “Congress government,” instead of the British colonial regime.

“Delhi has heard the revolution of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, when they threw the bomb against the deaf Congress government,” she said during the proceedings, a remark that quickly went viral after clips from the official webcast circulated online.

Although Gupta clarified in her Assembly speech that the error was accidental, the opposition seized upon the comment. AAP leaders accused the Chief Minister of distorting history and embarrassing the country.

AAP MLA Sanjay Jha mocked the statement as a “new updated version of history,” writing on social media that freedom fighters who resisted British rule were now being portrayed as revolutionaries targeting a Congress government.

AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bhardwaj went further, saying the Chief Minister had “embarrassed India.” He pointed out that even schoolchildren know Bhagat Singh threw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly in 1929 as a protest against the British Raj, not against any Indian political party.

The episode added fuel to an already tense political atmosphere in the Delhi Assembly, where exchanges between the ruling BJP and the opposition AAP have frequently descended into sharp personal and ideological confrontations.

Gupta’s Defence: ‘Words Can Slip’

Responding directly to the backlash, Gupta acknowledged the mistake but defended herself against what she called disproportionate ridicule.

“In my speech, I accidentally said ‘Congress’ instead of ‘British’. They started making reels on that. Words can come out mistakenly from someone’s mouth, either mine or yours,” she told the House, emphasising that verbal slips should not be equated with ignorance or malice.

By framing the issue as one of human error, Gupta attempted to shift the debate away from semantics and back toward governance and policy, accusing the opposition of weaponising mistakes to distract from administrative failures under the previous government.

Gender and Power in Political Discourse

Gupta’s remarks also highlighted a broader theme of gendered criticism in Indian politics. By repeatedly stressing that she was being targeted because she is a woman chief minister, Gupta tapped into a longstanding debate about how women leaders are judged more harshly for minor lapses, tone, or presentation.

Political observers note that while male leaders often escape sustained scrutiny for verbal slips, women leaders frequently face amplified criticism, including personal attacks and mocking commentary. Gupta’s claim that critics “don’t like a woman CM working 24×7” reflects an attempt to situate the trolling within this wider context of gender bias.

Whether this framing resonates beyond her party’s support base remains to be seen, but it signals a deliberate effort by the Chief Minister to reclaim the narrative and portray herself as a target of unfair political and social scrutiny.

Comparing Governance: BJP vs AAP

Beyond addressing controversies, Gupta used her Assembly speech to draw a sharp comparison between her government’s 11 months in office and what she described as “11 years of mismanagement and corruption” under the AAP government.

She claimed that her administration had prioritised health, education, transport, and infrastructure, while alleging that essential services in Delhi had deteriorated over the years due to poor planning and corruption.

Highlighting flagship initiatives, Gupta pointed to the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health scheme, the Vandana Yojana, digitisation of hospital services, expansion of Jan Aushadhi Kendras, and the establishment of palna centres for working women.

In the education sector, she said her government aimed to curb arbitrary practices by private schools, while in healthcare, she accused the previous AAP administration of massive cost overruns in hospital construction projects.

Allegations Against the Previous Government

Gupta further alleged that Delhi had suffered from irregular electricity connections, irrational water bills, and delays in GST refunds under the previous regime. She claimed her government had addressed these issues through legal metering, an amnesty scheme for water dues, and time-bound GST refunds for traders.

These assertions form a key part of the BJP’s broader strategy in Delhi: portraying the AAP’s long tenure as one of administrative chaos while projecting the current government as reform-driven and accountable.

A Polarised Political Climate

The controversies surrounding Gupta’s remarks underline the deeply polarised political climate in Delhi, where governance debates often overlap with ideological battles and personal attacks. While the opposition continues to scrutinise her statements for factual accuracy and symbolism, Gupta appears determined to frame such criticism as distraction from her administration’s work.

As the political discourse intensifies, verbal slips and symbolic controversies are likely to remain flashpoints — not merely as isolated incidents, but as tools in a larger struggle over credibility, leadership, and public perception.

Conclusion

Rekha Gupta’s strong defence against trolling over her “AIQ” mispronunciation and Bhagat Singh gaffe reflects both the pressures of political leadership and the heightened scrutiny faced by women in power. By acknowledging her mistakes while accusing critics of deliberate politicisation, the Delhi Chief Minister has sought to reclaim authority and shift focus back to governance.

Whether this approach succeeds will depend on public reception and her government’s performance on the ground. For now, the episode illustrates how even minor verbal slips can become major political weapons in India’s increasingly combative political arena — especially when gender, history, and ideology intersect.