"Is Phulera's Panchayat government running in Delhi?" AAP questions Delhi CM over husband's presence in official meeting

New Delhi [India], September 7 (ANI): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday targeted Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, sharing a purported photo from a meeting in which her husband Manish Gupta was seated beside her, and comparing the administration to "Phulera's Panchayat."
In its jibe, AAP claimed that the national capital was being run in the manner of a village panchayat, with non-elected family members exercising influence.

दिल्ली में चल रही है फुलेरा की पंचायत की सरकार⁉️

मुख्यमंत्री रेखा गुप्ता जी एक Meeting करती हैं, इस मीटिंग में तमाम अधिकारी और कर्मचारी शामिल होते हैं। लेकिन CM साहिबा के बगल में कुर्सी लगाकर उनके पति मनीष गुप्ता बैठे हैं। pic.twitter.com/RopnpWaTTN

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) September 7, 2025

Posting the image on X, AAP wrote, "Is Phulera's Panchayat Government Running in Delhi? Chief Minister Rekha Gupta holds a meeting in which several officials and employees participate. But sitting right next to the CM, on a chair placed beside her, is her husband Manish Gupta."
The remark was a reference to 'Panchayat', a popular web series that portrays the functioning of a Gram Panchayat in the fictional village of Phulera.
On Sunday, AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj accused Chief Minister Rekha Gupta of allowing her husband to participate in official work, terming it "unconstitutional" and a "mockery" of democratic norms.

दिल्ली सरकार बनी फुलेरा पंचायत

जैसे फुलेरा की पंचायत में महिला प्रधान के पति प्रधान की तरह काम करते थे , आज दिल्ली में CM के पति आधिकारिक मीटिंग में बैठ रहे हैं ।

हमने पहले भी बताया था कि CM आले पति आधिकारिक मीटिंग में बैठते हैं , अधिकारियों के साथ मीटिंग और इंस्पेक्शन करते… pic.twitter.com/40D3kz5OXU

— Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) September 7, 2025

In a post on X, Bharadwaj write, "Delhi Government Turns into Phulera Panchayat. Just as in Phulera's Panchayat, where the woman Sarpanch's husband used to act as the real head, today in Delhi the CM's husband is seen sitting in official meetings. We had pointed out earlier too that the CM's husband sits in official meetings, holds discussions with officers, and even takes part in inspections. This is completely unconstitutional. In the nation's capital, democracy and constitutional norms are being made a mockery of in this manner."
The AAP leader also accused the BJP of double standards and accused the Chief Minister's husband of "unconstitutional interference" in government functioning, comparing the situation to a "Phulera Panchayat."
He wrote, "The BJP, which leaves no chance to curse the Congress for dynastic politics, must answer--if this is not dynasty politics, then what is it? Does the Chief Minister of the world's largest party not have even a single worker left whom she can trust? What is the kind of work that only a family member can do? What are the reasons that the CM wants to establish her husband's authority? Why is her husband being made a part of the official administrative system in this way?"
Bharadwaj also stated that the photos of the CM's husband seated in meetings were sourced from Rekha Gupta's official Instagram account as well as the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) handle. (ANI)