‘Enemies of Sanatan Dharma’: AAP, BJP spar over CM Rekha Gupta's public Karwa Chauth celebration

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) traded barbs over Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's Karwa Chauth celebration, with the opposition party mocking the elaborate festivities. The ruling party in the national capital hit back, calling the critics "enemies of Sanatan Dharma."

Gupta celebrated Karwa Chauth at the Mukhyamantri Jan Sewa Sadan on 10 October. The event was attended by many women politicians, spouses of Union ministers, MPs, MLAs, councillors, government officers, and other prominent women.

AAP leader and former minister Saurabh Bharadwaj shared a video on X, discussing the celebration.

What is the big deal?

"Now Rekha Gupta ji celebrated Karwa Chauth. Rekha Gupta ji celebrated it with her husband. What's the big deal with that? Is it the first time someone has celebrated Karwa Chauth with their husband? You must have seen the video; it's everywhere. On one side is the husband, and on the other, around a hundred security guards, whose own wives couldn't celebrate because of this," he said.

Bharadwaj made the remarks on Sunday during the Diwali Milan event hosted by the party for autorickshaw drivers.

"Look at that video, a security guard is standing there holding her (Rekha Gupta's) Karwa Chauth thali. His own wife is probably watching the video, seeing her husband helping Rekha Gupta perform her Karwa Chauth rituals, thinking... This is the worth of your vote, that Rekha Gupta celebrated Karwa Chauth. Just look at the heavy price you people are paying for it," he said in the video.

The BJP hit back at the AAP, saying the party leaders were pained by the fact that the chief minister had celebrated the festival with hundreds of women.

"The enemies of Sanatan Dharma are deeply pained to see how the woman Chief Minister of Delhi is celebrating the festival of Karwa Chauth with hundreds of women at her Jan Seva Sadan," the party said on X.

Hitting out at AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, they said that in his "sheesh mahal", people were not allowed.

In response, Bharadwaj shared the entire video of his speech. In the video, he also accused the Delhi government of lying to people on achievements and claiming credit for initiatives taken by the previous Arvind Kejriwal-led government.

(With agency inputs)