2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: May 26, 2026 12:02 PM IST
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s bizarre claim about trees at a recent event has sparked massive social media trolling and sparked widespread criticism from opposition parties like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
While speaking at the Exhibition of Innovative Technological Solutions, Gupta purportedly claimed that trees like Babool, Safeda do not release oxygen.
In a video clip from the programme that has now gone viral, the BJP leader could be heard saying: “Most of the trees that are planted on roadsides of Delhi… trees like Safeda, Kikar, Babool are not oxygen-givers…”
The statement quickly became fodder for social media mockery, with opposition leaders slamming the chief minister.
Sharing the footage on Instagram, former Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj wrote: “CM Rekha Gupta strikes again. She says Safeda, Babool and Keekar trees don’t give oxygen. And BJP says she will fix pollution of Delhi.”
With air pollution being a long-standing menace of the national capital, tackling it through various methods has been one of the main targets of the Gupta-led BJP government.
AAP also shared a meme-infused version of the clip, mocking the CM’s statement. It also added a lesson, at the end of the clip, in which a Google AI overview says all green plants, including Babool and Safeda, produce oxygen through photosynthesis during the day.
