AAP, BJP face off over removal of Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh photos from Delhi govt offices

New Delhi: The Delhi Assembly was adjourned for 15 minutes on Monday following Vijender Gupta’s election as Speaker amid sloganeering from both the treasury and opposition benches. AAP members accused the BJP of being "anti-Dalit and anti-Sikh."

Leader of Opposition Atishi, while extending her best wishes to Gupta, joined her MLAs in protesting the removal of portraits of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh from the Delhi Secretariat, including Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s office.

In the new setup, photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mahatma Gandhi, and President Droupadi Murmu are now visible in the background of CM Gupta’s office.

However, a wide-angle picture of the Chief Minister's office, posted by the Delhi BJP, showed portraits of both Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh on the right-side wall next to the CM's chair.

दिल्ली की मुख्यमंत्री श्रीमती @gupta_rekha एवं सभी मंत्रियों के कक्ष में श्रद्धेय महात्मा गांधी जी, बाबा साहेब भीमराव अंबेडकर जी, भगत सिंह जी, महामहिम राष्ट्रपति जी एवं प्रधानमंत्री जी के चित्र सुशोभित हैं। pic.twitter.com/zx6puyqr1w

— BJP Delhi (@BJP4Delhi) February 24, 2025

“It is unfortunate that the Delhi Assembly is being led by a party that is anti-Dalit and anti-Sikh. The BJP has removed photographs of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh from the Chief Minister’s office, showing its anti-Dalit stance,” Atishi said.

Later, in a Hindi post on X, she wrote, “The BJP has shown its true anti-Dalit and anti-Sikh face. Photographs of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh have been removed from the Chief Minister’s office in the Delhi Legislative Assembly.”

भाजपा ने अपना असली दलित विरोधी और सिख विरोधी चेहरा दिखा दिया है। दिल्ली विधान सभा के मुख्यमंत्री कार्यालय से बाबासाहेब भीम राव अंबेडकर और शहीद-ए-आज़म भगत सिंह की तस्वीरें हटा दी गईं है pic.twitter.com/Zdq1Xxa7bW

— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) February 24, 2025

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal said the move hurt millions of Ambedkar’s followers. “The new BJP government in Delhi removed Babasaheb’s photograph and put up a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is not right. This has hurt millions of Babasaheb’s followers,” he said in a post on X.

दिल्ली की नई बीजेपी सरकार ने बाबा साहेब की फोटो हटाकर प्रधान मंत्री मोदी जी की फोटो लगा दी। ये सही नहीं है। इस से बाबा साहेब के करोड़ो अनुयायियों को ठेस पहुँची है।

मेरी बीजेपी से प्रार्थना है। आप प्रधान मंत्री जी की फोटो लगा लीजिए लेकिन बाबा साहिब की फोटो तो मत हटाइए। उनकी फोटो… https://t.co/k9A2HKFECV

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 24, 2025

“I have a request for the BJP: you can put up the Prime Minister’s photograph, but do not remove Babasaheb’s. Let it remain,” he added.

Delhi Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma hit back at Atishi, saying, “These AAP people have one job—to avoid any development in Delhi. They had 10 years but made things worse. Today, too, they harmed the sanctity of the House. The House is based on the trust of Delhi’s people, who have high expectations. I’d like to tell AAP and the entire Opposition to work for Delhi’s development. If they have good suggestions, we’ll accept them. Help us make Delhi a ‘Viksit Dilli.’”