A graphic purportedly showing a statement by Rekha Gupta is being widely shared across social media. The graphic, which carries the Navbharat Times (NBT) logo and features the Delhi Chief Minister’s photograph, claims she said, “Dharmendra Pradhan ji should be awarded the Bharat Ratna. He has served the BJP with integrity for years.”
Social media users are circulating the graphic as an authentic statement by the Delhi Chief Minister. Many posts are sharing it with the caption, “Dharmendra Pradhan ji should be awarded the Bharat Ratna as he has served the BJP with honesty for years,” claiming that Rekha Gupta remarked.
Similar posts can be seen here. (Archive)
NM VERIFIED
NewsMobile verified the claim and found it to be misleading.
The NM team initiated its verification by running the viral graphic through a reverse image search and searching relevant keywords online. However, no credible news reports or official records were found carrying any such statement by Rekha Gupta. Given her position as the Chief Minister of Delhi, such a remark would have been widely reported by mainstream media if it had actually been made.
We then focused on the official social media handles of Navbharat Times. An identical postcard was found on NBT’s official X account, shared on June 23, 2026. The original post was related to a decision taken during the 36th board meeting of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) regarding the rehabilitation of slum residents.
The authentic postcard quoted Rekha Gupta as saying: “Residents of all slums built in Delhi till January 1, 2025 will get the benefit of rehabilitation.” This confirms that the viral image was digitally edited by replacing the original text with the fabricated Bharat Ratna claim while retaining the NBT branding and Rekha Gupta’s photograph.
A comparison between the viral and original images can be seen below.
Further verification of Rekha Gupta’s official X account showed that she had posted about Dharmendra Pradhan on July 25, 2026, following his resignation. In that post, she praised his integrity, honesty and contribution to implementing the National Education Policy 2020, while wishing him success in his future public service. However, the post did not mention conferring the Bharat Ratna or make any statement resembling the one shown in the viral graphic.
The viral graphic claiming that Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said Dharmendra Pradhan should be awarded the Bharat Ratna is fake. The image was created by digitally editing an original Navbharat Times postcard about Delhi’s slum rehabilitation policy. Rekha Gupta has made no such statement.
