New Delhi: Ahead of Diwali celebrations, a group of women staged a protest outside Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s residence in Delhi, demanding that the BJP government fulfill its election promise of providing free LPG cylinders during festivals. Holding placards and banners, the women urged the chief minister to deliver on the “Modi Guarantee” of free gas cylinders on Holi and Diwali to help families celebrate the festival with ease.
The protesters chanted slogans and carried handwritten posters that read, “Holi has passed, and we could not make sweets. Now Diwali has come — give us our promised free LPG cylinder.” The demonstration, held near the CM’s residence in Shalimar Bagh, quickly gained traction on social media, with videos of women pleading for relief going viral.
AAP Leaders Join in Attack on BJP
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) strongly backed the protest and accused the BJP of betraying Delhi’s women voters. Sharing a video of the protest on X (formerly Twitter), senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj wrote, “Women of Shalimar Bagh have reached CM Rekha Gupta’s house to demand free Diwali cylinders. This was Modi’s guarantee — free gas cylinders for every home on Holi and Diwali.”
In another post, Bharadwaj mocked the BJP government, saying, “Someone tell CM Rekha Gupta — Holi is long over, now Diwali has come. When will the free cylinders arrive?”
AAP also released a video claiming that residents confronted LPG delivery agents, asking, “Where is our free cylinder?” The party said that the BJP’s unfulfilled promise of festival-time relief had now become a symbol of voter discontent in Delhi.
No Response Yet from BJP
So far, the BJP or CM Rekha Gupta’s office has not issued any official statement in response to the protest or AAP’s criticism.
This marks the second major protest on the issue this year — earlier, in March 2025, AAP workers had demonstrated across 40 locations in the capital demanding free LPG cylinders on the occasion of Holi.
Political observers say the issue could intensify the BJP-AAP confrontation ahead of next year’s civic and assembly polls, as cost-of-living pressures and fuel prices remain politically sensitive topics in the national capital.
