Felt like protagonist of 'Nayak': Rekha Gupta on her selection as Delhi CM

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday said she felt like the protagonist of the Hindi movie "Nayak" after being selected for the post and asserted that it was not a "lottery" but an honour for all daughters of the country.

Addressing India Today Conclave, Gupta, the only woman chief minister across BJP-ruled states, said the BJP government in Delhi will ensure the cleaning of the Yamuna in three years, starting a ferry service on it and diminishing three landfill sites up to 80-90 per cent in next two years.

The other priorities of her government were to ensure that Delhi people do not face water shortage in the summers and waterlogging during monsoon, she said.

On being asked about her getting preference for the chief minister's post over several senior leaders and MLAs, Gupta said, "Let no one have any misunderstanding. This victory is due to the people of Delhi and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi."  "This is not a post, it is a job and a responsibility. Our aim is a developed Delhi for a developed India," Gupta said.

Underlining that the women in Indian society do not get opportunities to go on the "front foot", she said her appointment as chief minister of Delhi was an honour for all daughters of the country and there was a lot of enthusiasm over it.

The appointment of a woman as chief minister was a very significant vision of the party and PM Modi and it was not just a "symbolic facelift" but a genuine effort to promote women to higher posts of decision-making, Gupta said.

It was not like a dream come true, Gupta said, adding she was moving on her own path when she was selected to the post.

"I felt like the protagonist of the 'Nayak' movie. I won't say it was a lottery. It is an honour of all daughters in the country and Modiji has realised the vision of women-led development and women-led government," the Delhi chief minister said.

She said the Delhiites have now understood that the "double-engine" government of the BJP is the "best pathway" to make the national capital a developed city. Gupta asserted that the entire party leadership stood with her.

The people of Delhi have a lot of hopes from the new government, the chief minister said and added that she would work to strengthen the basic facilities and develop Delhi into a modern city.

She said air pollution was a major challenge for which her government would work in a time-bound manner in consultation with experts. It will work intensively to control factors contributing to air pollution, such as stubble burning and vehicular emissions, Gupta said.

She also stressed that she will live among the people and not in the "Sheesh Mahal". The bungalow where former CM Arvind Kejriwal lived will be used for public purposes, the chief minister added.