Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta delivered an emotional address in the Delhi Legislative Assembly on Friday, January 10, 2026, expressing deep hurt over what she described as persistent mockery and personal attacks by leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The CM alleged that the opposition's behavior stems from an inability to accept a woman running the government and working tirelessly.
"Pained by Mockery": CM's Emotional Plea for Decorum
Speaking during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the Lieutenant Governor's address, CM Rekha Gupta stated she was pained by the way AAP leaders deliberately targeted her. She emphasized that while human error in speech is possible, the opposition's attempts to ridicule her were intentional and unfortunate.
"I am pained by the way AAP leaders mock me," Gupta told the Assembly. "They do not like the fact that a woman CM is running the government, or a woman chief minister is working 24x7. They are unable to tolerate it." She stressed that while disagreement is democratic, personal remarks and gender-based mockery violate political decorum and reflect poorly on societal attitudes.
The Chief Minister cited specific instances where her verbal slips were amplified. She mentioned being mocked for saying 'AIQ' instead of 'AQI' (Air Quality Index) and 'Congress' instead of 'British' in a previous speech. "They would make reels out of it," she said, accusing the AAP of deliberately misleading Delhi's citizens by focusing on minor errors instead of substantive governance issues.
Government's Stance on Governance vs. Protest
Contrasting her administration's approach with that of the opposition, CM Gupta asserted, "Our government believes in delivering, not staging protests." She outlined her administration's priorities, with a significant focus on environmental issues inherited from the previous AAP government.
In a related attack on the AAP's legacy, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused the previous government of inaction on air pollution despite court directives. He claimed that Delhi was the world's most polluted capital between 2014 and 2024. Targeting the AAP's flagship Odd-Even car rationing scheme, Sirsa stated that the Supreme Court had already declared it was not a solution.
New Government's Blueprint for a Cleaner Delhi
Minister Sirsa detailed the current government's multi-pronged strategy to combat pollution. The plan prioritizes landfill biomining, stricter enforcement of construction norms, road redevelopment, and a major expansion of the electric bus fleet.
Echoing the environmental commitment, Chief Minister Gupta highlighted the Yamuna river's rejuvenation as a top priority. She described it as a complex challenge that cannot be fixed with superficial measures. "The government is now repairing old plants and has initiated the tender process for setting up new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs)," she informed the Assembly, signaling a long-term, infrastructural approach to the perennial problem.
The Assembly session underscored the deepening political rift in Delhi, with the Chief Minister framing the criticism against her as deeply personal and gendered, while her ministers launched a pointed critique of the former administration's policy failures.
