New Delhi

The first day of the new Delhi Assembly session was marked by heated exchanges between the ruling BJP and the Opposition AAP over an alleged ‘Ambedkar-PM Modi photo swap’ in Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s office.

AAP leaders, including former Chief Ministers Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi, accused the BJP of disrespecting B.R. Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh by removing their portraits from the CM’s office in the legislature. The BJP, in turn, dismissed these claims, accusing AAP of spreading falsehoods to cover up their poor performance among Dalit and Sikh voters in the recent Assembly elections.

The BJP also demanded an apology from Atishi for allegedly making false statements regarding the removal of portraits of these eminent leaders from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

Atishi raised the issue in the House and later addressed the media after the proceedings were adjourned. Kejriwal also joined the fray, posting a message on social media.

Kejriwal wrote on X, “The new BJP government of Delhi removed Baba Saheb's photo and put up the photo of Prime Minister Modi. This is not right. This has hurt millions of followers of Baba Saheb. I have a request to the BJP. You can put the photo of the Prime Minister but do not remove the photo of Baba Sahib. Let his photo remain there.”

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva condemned the AAP leaders for spreading lies, accusing them of continuing their misconduct after the party's defeat in the election.

He said, “In the last Assembly elections, AAP was defeated in Sikh-majority and Dalit-populated constituencies. Frustrated by this loss, Atishi attempted to spread falsehoods from the Assembly premises.”

Sachdeva clarified that the portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh, the President of India, and the Prime Minister of India continue to be displayed in the offices of the Chief Minister and all ministers in Delhi, which anyone could easily verify.

Sharing pictures of the CMO that showed the portraits of the leaders, Sachdeva condemned the AAP leaders’ behaviour, calling it disgraceful.

The controversy began in the afternoon when AAP leaders, led by Atishi, visited Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s office on the Assembly premises during a break in the House.

When proceedings resumed, Atishi raised the issue in the House, alleging disrespect towards the Dalit icon and freedom fighters by removing their photos. This led to a commotion in the House, with BJP members protesting against her accusations. The House was adjourned by new Speaker Vijender Gupta, who also condemned Atishi’s action of raising the issue without the chair’s permission.

On Tuesday, the controversial CAG report on the now-scrapped excise policy of the AAP government is likely to be tabled following Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena’s address to the House.

The BJP, which has held the treasury benches after 27 years, has 48 MLAs in the Assembly, while AAP has 22.