The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has exposed CM Rekha Gupta for claiming credit by putting “Arogya Mandir” boards on 62 MCD dispensaries. Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Ankush Narang, said that the CM is busy cutting ribbons on dispensaries that belong to the MCD, questioning how she can put up her own board when both the land and staff are MCD property.
The MCD LoP stated that there is no provision in MCD rules that grants the Delhi government ownership of MCD assets. Instead of focusing on real work, Rekha Gupta has become Delhi’s first Chief Minister whose priority seems to be ribbon-cutting. The BJP government, openly indulging in such misrepresentation, should feel ashamed. MCD co-incharge Praveen Kumar and Preeti Dongra, along with councillors Chitra Vidyarthi, Sahil Gangwal, and Rajiv Sanwal, were also present at the event.
On Wednesday, MCD LoP Ankush Narang, held a press conference and said that the BJP is only doing ribbon-cutting politics. He said, “The inauguration of Arogya Mandirs by the BJP government in Delhi on Wednesday is an example of this. The BJP has renamed 62 MCD dispensaries and hospitals as Arogya Mandirs.”
He further stated that the Arvind Kejriwal government had established Mohalla Clinics in Delhi, all of which were set up at new locations for public convenience, and some were even created in Porta cabins. In contrast, the BJP is simply renaming MCD dispensaries as Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. “The Arogya Mandirs where the BJP has cut ribbons are not new clinics,” he emphasised.
Ankush Narang said that on Wednesday, the BJP government renamed 62 MCD dispensaries. He added, “However, in the coming days, the BJP is preparing to rename 370 MCD dispensaries as Arogya Mandirs. Showing the ward of councillor Chitra Vidyarthi, he said that the dispensary had been labeled as Maternity and Child Welfare, Satyawati Park, Keshavpuram Zone, A-Block Satyawati Nagar, Ashok Vihar Phase Three.”
He continued, “Now the BJP has changed this name to Arogya Mandir. The MCD board is still present on the Arogya Mandir. The place belongs to the MCD, but now the board shows CM Rekha Gupta, Health and Family Welfare Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh, and MP Praveen Khandelwal. By covering up the old MCD dispensary, CM Rekha Gupta has put up her own board.”
Ankush Narang said that the ownership of these 62 Arogya Mandirs lies with the MCD. He said, “If the land belongs to the MCD, how can Rekha Gupta put up her own board? The staff and in-charge of these dispensaries are also MCD employees.”
“The MCD Act does not provide any provision that gives the Delhi government ownership rights over MCD property. Similarly, several other dispensaries have also been renamed with Arogya Mandir boards. On one Arogya Mandir, the name of MLA Kailash Gangwal and his wife has also been written, even though she is not even the councillor of that ward. The councillor of that ward is Sahil Gangwal. The BJP should feel ashamed for openly committing such fraud.”
Ankush Narang said that as the land belongs to the MCD, they demanded that the local councillor be called and their name be included on the plaque. But it was not done. He added, “Rekha Gupta has become Delhi’s first CM who only cuts ribbons, while the reality on the ground is that these dispensaries do not have medicines or additional facilities.”
He pointed out, “Repainting old dispensaries and renaming them as Arogya Mandirs is shameful. The Aam Aadmi Party strongly opposes this. Governments come and go, but the Mohalla Clinics established by Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi gained recognition not only in India but worldwide.”
During this, MCD co-incharge Praveen Kumar said that the BJP is only trying to blind the people of Delhi and make fools of them. He said, “They are just covering up under the guise of work. The 62 MCD dispensaries inaugurated as Arogya Mandirs on Wednesday have been serving patients continuously for many years.”
He further said, “The BJP is not doing anything new. The Rekha Gupta government and BJP mayors are misleading the public by merely changing the names of dispensaries and painting them. This provides no benefit to the people, as no new staff, tests, or medicines have been added.” He stated taht education and health are in a poor state under the BJP’s four-engine government, and MCD dispensaries are left to gather dust.
Praveen Kumar added that discussions in the official WhatsApp groups indicate that AAP councillors will not be included in these inaugurations; only BJP councillors will be invited. He said, “Even BJP does not include its own voters. The Aam Aadmi Party condemns this act. It is negative politics.”
He continued, “People expect the BJP government to build new hospitals and infrastructure, but instead, it is deceiving the public by just repainting old infrastructure. Delhi residents will not tolerate this and will strongly oppose it.”
Meanwhile, MCD co-incharge Preeti Dogra said, “Rekha Gupta complains that Delhi residents make memes about her. But why does she do things that force people to make memes? People elected her to work, not to bring a new drama every day.”
She further stated, “If the BJP genuinely cared for the public, they would not have closed the Mohalla Clinics built by the AAP government under Arvind Kejriwal, where all facilities were available. Instead, the BJP is focused only on political show. That is why they repaint old dispensaries, cut ribbons, and claim a new Arogya Mandir has opened.”
Preeti Dogra said that when people visit for treatment, they find nothing, and patients have to return empty-handed. She added, “The BJP is not working for the people of Delhi; it is only deceiving them. Since Rekha Gupta has been given responsibility for Delhi, no real work has happened; it is only theatrics.”
She pointed out that it has been clearly stated that AAP councillors will not be included in inaugurations. She said, “Rekha Gupta must understand that these dispensaries belong to the MCD, not the Delhi government. The councillors of these wards have full rights to be included in every activity. But the BJP cuts ribbons alone, leaving people disappointed.”
Ward 66 councillor Chitra Vidyarthi said that in her ward, two Ayushman Arogya Mandirs were inaugurated. She said, “Both had plaques with the names of CM Rekha Gupta, BJP MLA Poonam Sharma, and Delhi’s Health Minister.” She asked why, when the dispensaries belong to the MCD and doctors are also MCD employees, AAP councillors were not included.
Chitra Vidyarthi stated, “Doctors said they had strict instructions from the Delhi government that when the plaques arrived, they noticed the councillor’s name was missing. When they asked about it, they were told not to include her because she is from the Aam Aadmi Party. If she were from the BJP, she would have been included.”
Chitra Vidyarthi said that they are also elected representatives of the public. She said, “When the dispensary belongs to the MCD, how can the BJP government ignore the corporation? If the Delhi government wants to do anything, they should do it at a dispensary under their own control in her ward, cut the ribbon, and put their name, it would be fine. But Rekha Gupta is forcibly taking over someone else’s property and putting her name on it.”
She asked, “This is outright robbery, and how long will it continue?” Chitra Vidyarthi also highlighted the poor condition of Delhi Government’s Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital, saying there is nothing available for treatment.
She continued, “Medicines that were earlier free are now only available through Jan Aushadhi centres. The hospital dispensary lacks medicines. The situation is so bad that housekeeping staff is doing ECGs, and doctors are rude to patients. There is no one overseeing the facility. BJP is only covering up and trying to make it look good.”
She told CM Rekha Gupta that this cannot continue for long. Chitra Vidyathri said, “Rekha Gupta was once a corporation councillor but now must move beyond that mindset. She is Delhi’s Chief Minister now, so she should do CM work and leave councillor work to councillors.”
Ward 93 councillor Sahil Gangwal said that what happened today was extremely shameful. Two dispensaries in his assembly constituency were inaugurated. He said, “The most important point is that the BJP government in Delhi made Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, but on property that does not even belong to them.”
He continued, “This property belongs to the MCD and has not been handed over to the Delhi government. The Rekha Gupta government did nothing new, only whitened the walls and likely spent lakhs on the plaques. No doctors were posted, no medicines supplied, and no equipment or rooms were added. Only whitening was done.”
Sahil Gangwal gave proof of discrimination, saying that BJP Minister Pravesh Verma himself came for the inauguration. He showed a board where the names of CM Rekha Gupta, Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh, Minister Pravesh Verma, MP Kamaljeet Sahrawat, MLA Kailash Gangwal, and councillor Urmila Gangwal were written, because they are all from BJP.
Sahil Gangwal said that on the other hand, in his ward (93), the board had the names of Rekha Gupta, Pankaj Singh, Kamaljeet Sahrawat, and Kailash Gangwal, but his name as councillor was missing. This was done because he is from the Aam Aadmi Party. The BJP neither allowed him to work nor gave him any recognition. He said, “The BJP is only taking credit for work done during Arvind Kejriwal’s government.”
Sahil Gangwal said that the BJP government is one that changes nameplates in the dark. He concluded by saying, “It does name politics, not work. The people of Delhi have been deeply troubled since the BJP government came to power.” He warned that it took the BJP 27 years to come to power, but if they continue such dirty politics, people will not remember them even in the next 100 years
