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Rekha Gupta targets Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘sheesh mahal’ in Delhi Budget: ‘built toilets worth lakhs’

Rekha Gupta was addressing the Delhi Assembly after presenting the first Budget under the BJP-led government in the capital after their victory in polls last month.

Rekha Gupta also slammed the previous AAP government on the education sector. (Express photo/ Praveen Khanna)

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, while presenting her government’s Rs 1 lakh crore budget for 2025-26 on Tuesday, launched a scathing attack on former CM Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), reviving the controversial ‘Sheesh Mahal’ debate that dominated the assembly election campaign.

Taking direct aim at her predecessor, Gupta said there was “lot of difference” between the BJP and AAP., “You (AAP) made promises, we will fulfil them. You abused the governments of the other states, we will establish harmony and work together… You made ‘Sheesh Mahal’, we will build houses for the poor… You installed pot toilets worth lakhs, we will make toilets for the people in slum areas.”

Gupta did not hold back, referring to Kejriwal as “Delhi’s malik (owner)” and mocking his unfulfilled promises to transform the capital into a world-class city. “Instead of turning Delhi into London, he left behind traffic snarls and incomplete projects,” she remarked.

#WATCH | #DelhiBudget2025 | CM Rekha Gupta says, “… There is a lot of difference between us and them (AAP)… You (AAP) made promises, we will fulfil them. You abused the governments of the other states, we will establish harmony and work together… You made ‘Sheesh Mahal’, we… pic.twitter.com/41fWqtK9Pm

— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2025

In the lead-up to the Assembly polls in the Capital, the BJP took repeated digs at AAP for the alleged extravagant re-modelling and renovation of the Chief Minister’s bungalow, where former CM Arvind Kejriwal resided.

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Slamming the AAP government’s record in education, Gupta accused it of manipulating student performance data. “The AAP government has failed many students in 9th and 11th standard so that their 10th and 12th results appear better,” she alleged.

In a bid to overhaul education, Gupta announced the launch of ‘CM SHRI Schools,’ modeled after the central government’s ‘PM SHRI Schools’ and aligned with the New Education Policy 2020.

An initial allocation of Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for the project. Additionally, Rs 750 crore will be used to provide free laptops to 1,200 meritorious students passing class 10th. A new education hub will also be established in Narela to promote skill development and higher education.

Outlining her government’s vision for Delhi’s future, Gupta announced plans to turn the city into a “tourism hub,” allocating Rs 177 crore for the initiative. A key focus will be promoting Bharat Mandapam, a premier trade and exhibition hall, as a major attraction.

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To address Delhi’s aging infrastructure, the new BJP government has set aside Rs 100 crore for shifting overhead electrical lines and high-tension wires to improve safety and aesthetics. The environment and forest department has been allocated Rs 506 crore to bolster green initiatives and conservation efforts.

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