'Is PM Modi bigger than Babasaheb?'AAP targets BJP over missing Ambedkar & Bhagat Singh photos from CM office

NEW DELHI: The Delhi assembly on Monday witnessed a ruckus on the first day of the session, with Atishi leading the protest by AAP MLAs over the alleged removal of BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh's photos from the CM office.
Atishi accused the ruling BJP of being "anti-Dalit and anti-Sikh".
"The Bharatiya Janata Party today has shown its anti-Dalit and anti-Sikh face to the country. Soon after coming to power, they removed pictures of Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh from the CM Office. Does BJP think PM Narendra Modi ji is greater than Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh?" Atishi told news agency ANI.
Atishi also posted on X two photos -- one with pictures of BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh when she was the CM and another with photos of Mahatma Gandhi, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the BJP regime.
Building on Atishi's post, ex-Delhi CM and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP of hurting the "sentiments of millions of Babasaheb's followers".
"The new BJP government in Delhi removed Babasaheb's photo and replaced it with Prime Minister Modi's photo. This is not right. It has hurt the sentiments of millions of Babasaheb's followers. I request the BJP to go ahead and put up the Prime Minister's photo, but please do not remove Babasaheb's photo. Let his photo remain," Kejriwal said on X.

In a sharp-worded reply to Arvind Kejriwal and Atishi, chief minister Rekha Gupta called charges by AAP a tactic to "hide their corruption and misdeed behind Babasaheb Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh".
"This is their tactic to hide their corruption and misdeeds behind Babasaheb Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh...Should the photo of the head of government not be put up? Should the photo of the President of the country not be put up? Should the photo of father of the nation Gandhi ji not be put up? Bhagat Singh and Babasaheb are respectable personalities of the country and our guide. So, this room is of the CM of Delhi and as the head of the government, we have given them the space. It is not my work to answer them, I am answerable to the people," said the chief minister.
Reacting to AAP's allegations, BJP MLA Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma accused the rival party of "harming the sanctity of the House".
"These AAP-da people have one work - do not do any development in Delhi. They had 10 years of time. But they made things worse in Delhi. Today too, they harmed the sanctity of the House. The House is based on the trust of the people of Delhi. They have a lot of expectations...I would like to tell AAP-da and entire Opposition that work so that there is development in Delhi, if there are good suggestions we will accept that. Help us in making Delhi, 'Viksit Dilli," Parvesh Verma told ANI.
BJP MLA Shikha Rai hit out at the AAP MLAs for "showing true character", saying: "They are always ahead in drama".
"The behaviour in the House was very unfortunate. Today, it was only oath ceremony and election of the speaker of assembly...However, they (the opposition) have shown their true character. They are always ahead in drama. Such a behaviour is not expected from any opposition," Rai said.
BJP's Satish Upadhyay said: "AAP is a dictator party. They have not forgotten their anarchy. Now, the BJP has come. The House will be conducted as per the Constitution and laws...Tomorrow, the CAG report will be tabled."
As the row exploded, the BJP posted a photo of the CM office displaying the portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh, the President, and the Prime Minister.

"We are standing in Delhi CM office and you can see the photo of BR Ambedkar. They are just afraid as CAG report will be presented tomorrow," Delhi minister Ravinder Indraj Singh told PTI.