With drums beating since morning and loudspeakers belting out patriotic songs, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) 27-year-long wait to form the government in Delhi for a second time ended on Thursday, when first-time legislator Rekha Gupta took oath as chief minister at the Ramlila Ground.
An estimated 50,000 people attended the event. The audience included a good number of women, all confident that a woman-led Delhi government would soon keep the party’s election promise of depositing a monthly allowance of Rs 2,500 in women’s bank accounts.
A six-member council of ministers, whose composition showed the BJP’s efforts to give representation to Delhi’s electorally important communities — the Jats, Hindu Punjabis and Sikhs, Dalits, and Poorvanchalis — also took oath.
The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and other Union ministers.
Chief ministers — Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh, Devendra Fadnavis of Maharashtra, Mohan Yadav of Madhya Pradesh, and Bhajanlal Sharma of Rajasthan — attended the event as did several of the National Democratic Alliance’s deputy chief ministers.
The path from the party’s Delhi office in Pandit Pant Marg to the oath-taking venue was covered with congratulatory posters, cutouts of the Prime Minister, and party flags.
“We had arranged nearly 100,000 flags and 50,000 cutouts to cover the entire city for the event,” said a party worker. Over 26,000 police persons were deployed at various points, including the roofs of homes in the nearby area.
The Ramlila Maidan has been witness to sharp bends in Delhi’s and independent India’s history — from Lata Mangeshkar singing Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon in 1963 as a tribute to the martyrs of the Indo-China war to then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri giving his slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan in 1965. In 1975, Jayaprakash Narayan, along with prominent Opposition leaders, chose the ground to protest against Indira Gandhi’s government. More than 100,000 people joined the protests.
The venue had acted as the springboard of the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) journey to power for 10 years. The party was founded by Arvind Kejriwal in 2012 after a series of demonstrations led by social activist Anna Hazare as part of the anti-corruption movement in the previous year.
The rallies saw participation from eminent personalities, including Prashant Bhushan, Kiran Bedi, and Ram Jethmalani. Further on, after winning the elections in 2013 and 2015, Kejriwal took oath at the same ground.
“It was a wait longer than Vanvaas. We have been working for the party for over 30 years,” said a BJP worker from Shahdara, Hari Om Sharma, while enjoying the tunes of religious songs being played in the background.
The party’s multiple units, including the Mahila Morcha and youth wing, celebrated with fervour. “We had distributed 1,000 turbans as a mark of respect for our new woman chief minister,” said Gunjan Gupta, vice-president, Mahila Morcha, Delhi BJP.
For those who came by party buses, it was like a festival. “Our vidhayak booked a bus for us. Entire families from our area are here,” said Pinky Kumar, a resident of Delhi’s Vishwas Nagar. This was not limited to Delhi residents. “We have come from Bihar,” said Sheetal Devi, though unsure about when her family can get back. “The party, till now, has only booked a one-way ticket,” she added.
In a pool of BJP supporters, a few admirers of the unseated AAP and its chief Arvind Kejriwal were present. “We will adjust with the change. Hope the promises are fulfilled,” said Hemant Kumar, a daily-wage worker in Delhi’s Vivek Vihar.
In a direct attack on the AAP, Yogender Chandoliya, a BJP MP from North West Delhi, said: “In our very first meeting, we will unmask Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Atishi.”
Pankaj Singh, one of the six Cabinet ministers who took oath along with Gupta, said: “We will try to fulfil all the promises of the Prime Minister. The city deserves the best facilities.” Other ministers who took oath include Parvesh Verma, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj, and Kapil Mishra.
If Gupta signed off her speech with a Bharat Mata ki Jai, Verma ended it with a Jai Hind and Singh with a Jai Siya Ram. All the ministers took oath in Hindi, barring Sirsa, who did it in Punjabi.
The Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal and Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee President Devender Yadav were present at the ceremony.
Cabinet nod to implement Ayushman Bharat in Delhi
At its first meeting on Thursday evening, the Delhi Cabinet approved implementing the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme for the residents of the city. The Cabinet also approved tabling 14 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports in the first session of the Assembly. The reports, including one that allegedly reveals overspending on the new chief ministerial bungalow, could not be tabled pending approval of the previous government.
The Delhi government also announced the allocation of portfolios. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta will handle finance, services and vigilance portfolios. Parvesh Verma has got the Public Works Department and transport portfolios, Ravinder Indraj will be social welfare minister, Kapil Mishra will handle law and justice and labour, Ashish Sood will take care of home, power, urban development and education, and Manjinder Sirsa has got industries and environment.
- Archis Mohan
 "Rekha Gupta sworn in as Delhi CM: BJP's 'Delhi dream' takes shape")
