The AAP alleges that Portraits of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh were removed from the Chief Minister’s office and residence, suggesting an ideological shift. The dispute centres on symbolics in official spaces and broader political narratives in Delhi’s governance.
India
-Oneindia Staff
Delhi
politics
saw
a
fresh
clash
on
6
December
2025,
as
the
Aam
Aadmi
Party
again
alleged
that
Chief
Minister
Rekha
Gupta
removed
portraits
of
Dr.
Bhimrao
Ambedkar
and
Bhagat
Singh
from
key
government
spaces.
The
charge
centred
on
visuals
from
an
event
marking
Dr.
Ambedkar
Mahaparinirvan
Diwas
in
the
national
capital.
On
December
6,
2025,
the
Aam
Aadmi
Party
(AAP)
accused
Delhi
Chief
Minister
Rekha
Gupta
of
removing
portraits
of
Dr.
Bhimrao
Ambedkar
and
Bhagat
Singh
from
government
spaces,
contrasting
them
with
photos
showing
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi,
alleging
ideological
differences.
AAP
legislator
Saurabh
Bharadwaj
highlighted
the
absence
of
the
portraits
in
the
current
Chief
Minister’s
office
and
residence,
recalling
a
similar
incident
in
February
2025
and
alleging
the
Bharatiya
Janata
Party’s
disrespect
for
Ambedkar.
AAP
legislator
Saurabh
Bharadwaj,
who
served
as
a
minister
in
the
earlier
Delhi
government,
claimed
that
these
portraits
disappeared
from
both
the
current
Chief
Minister’s
office
and
official
residence.
Bharadwaj
argued
that
recent
photographs
from
these
locations
no
longer
show
Dr.
Ambedkar
or
Bhagat
Singh,
and
that
this
change
reflects
the
priorities
of
the
present
administration.
रेखा गुप्ता ने CM बनते ही सबसे पहले बाबा साहेब की तस्वीरें हटवाईं‼️
दिल्ली में जब @ArvindKejriwal जी की सरकार थी, तब सभी तस्वीरों और वीडियो में बाबा साहेब की तस्वीर होती थी। आज उनके घर में भी बाबा साहेब और भगत सिंह जी की तस्वीरें लगी हैं।
लेकिन रेखा गुप्ता जी के मुख्यमंत्री… pic.twitter.com/UHqawnueTy
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) December 6, 2025“>
Delhi
Aam
Aadmi
Party
questions
visual
symbols
in
CM
offices
During
a
media
interaction,
Bharadwaj
displayed
older
images
from
Arvind
Kejriwal
and
Atishi’s
tenure.
In
those
pictures,
Dr.
Bhimrao
Ambedkar
and
Bhagat
Singh
appear
prominently
behind
the
leaders.
Bharadwaj
contrasted
them
with
fresh
photographs
of
Chief
Minister
Rekha
Gupta,
where
a
portrait
of
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
is
visible
in
the
background
instead.
| Leader |
Period shown |
Background portraits |
|---|---|---|
|
Arvind Kejriwal, Atishi |
Previous Delhi government |
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh |
|
Rekha Gupta |
Current Delhi government |
Prime Minister Narendra Modi |
Delhi
Aam
Aadmi
Party
links
photo
removal
to
ideology
debate
Bharadwaj
stated
that
every
official
photo
and
video
from
the
Kejriwal
period
showed
“Baba
Saheb”
in
the
frame,
and
that
Arvind
Kejriwal’s
home
still
displays
portraits
of
Dr.
Ambedkar
and
Bhagat
Singh.
Bharadwaj
alleged
that
images
from
Rekha
Gupta’s
office
and
residence
now
lack
such
portraits,
claiming
this
indicates
the
Bharatiya
Janata
Party
does
not
respect
Dr.
Ambedkar.
AAP
leaders
also
recalled
an
earlier
dispute
in
February
2025,
when
Rekha
Gupta
allegedly
removed
photos
of
“Baba
Saheb”
Ambedkar
and
Shaheed
Bhagat
Singh
from
the
Chief
Minister’s
office.
Party
MLAs
protested
inside
the
Assembly
and
accused
the
Bharatiya
Janata
Party
government
of
holding
views
against
the
Constitution,
saying,
“This
is
not
just
about
a
picture,
but
an
attempt
to
suppress
an
entire
ideology.” The
BJP
government
had
described
those
allegations
as
baseless.
Linking
the
latest
visuals
to
that
earlier
controversy,
Bharadwaj
questioned
why
Rekha
Gupta
appears
unwilling
to
display
Dr.
Ambedkar’s
portrait
in
official
spaces.
AAP
is
framing
the
issue
as
part
of
a
wider
ideological
contest
in
Delhi,
while
BJP’s
earlier
dismissal
of
the
charges
highlights
a
continuing
political
stand-off
over
symbols
and
constitutional
icons.
