Women should not live in fear, says Delhi CM Rekha Gupta

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena honoured seven women, including social workers and paralympians, at an event here on Sunday. Speaking at an all-women bike rally organised by Navbharat Times, the Chief Minister said the women bikers were a symbol of empowerment. "You have proved wrong those who say women cannot do certain things," she said.

The seven women who were honoured included Humaira Mushtaq, the first international car racer from Jammu and Kashmir; Divya Kakran, an Arjuna award-winning wrestler; Sweety Mehta, a domestic violence survivor, who established NGOs for women with similar struggles; Rekha Jindal, who works extensively in the field of drug rehabilitation; Nalini Asthana, who has dedicated herself to teaching computer to slum dwellers; Kanchan Lakhani, a para-athlete, and Neetu Chaudhary, a social worker.

The bike rally took off from Connaught Place at around 11 am on Sunday.


Gupta said the event was being organised annually since 2013. "Before that, Delhi witnessed a major tragedy. Women should not live in fear, because victory lies beyond fear," she said.

The Chief Minister also recalled that she used to ride a Kinetic scooter during her university years.

Lieutenant Governor Saxena said the bike rally was a display of women's courage.

He emphasised that women in India are moving shoulder-to-shoulder with men. "In fact, in some areas, they are surpassing men. During the Delhi assembly elections, we witnessed that female voters were more than men," he said.