New Delhi [India], September 8 : Aam Aadmi Party Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj has termed as "completely unconstitutional" the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's husband at official government meetings.
In a post shared on X, Bharadwaj said the situation is similar to that potrayed in the popular web series "Panchayat" which portrays the functioning of a Gram Panchayat in the fictional village of Phulera.
https://x.com/Saurabh_MLAgk/status/1964663801627947355
"Delhi Government Becomes Phulera Panchayat. Just as in Phulera's panchayat, where the woman sarpanch's husband acted as the sarpanch, today in Delhi, the CM's husband is sitting in official meetings. We had previously mentioned that the CM's husband attends official meetings, conducts meetings with officials, and carries out inspections," Bharadwaj said in X post.
"This is completely unconstitutional. In the nation's capital, democracy and the constitutional system are being mocked in this manner," he said
Bharadwaj further questioned whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which often criticises Congress for dynastic politics, would justify such a move. "The BJP, which relentlessly criticises Congress for dynastic politics, should explain--is this not dynastic politics?" he asked.
Bharadwaj raised several other questions: "Does the CM of the world's largest party have no worker left whom she can trust? What is that work which only a family member can do? What are the reasons that the CM wants to establish her husband's authority? Why is her husband being made a part of the government administrative system in this way?"
He also said that photos of the meeting were posted on both the official Instagram handle of the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) and CM Rekha Gupta's Instagram.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday targeted Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, sharing a purported photo from a meeting in which her husband Manish Gupta was seated beside her, and comparing the administration to "Phulera's Panchayat."
In its jibe, AAP claimed that the national capital was being run in the manner of a village panchayat, with non-elected family members exercising influence.
Posting the image on X, AAP wrote, "Is Phulera's Panchayat Government Running in Delhi? Chief Minister Rekha Gupta holds a meeting in which several officials and employees participate. But sitting right next to the CM, on a chair placed beside her, is her husband Manish Gupta."