Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj has accused the BJP-led Delhi government of insulting Dalits by failing to install a portrait of Savitribai Phule, a pioneering social reformer, on her birth anniversary in the Delhi Assembly. Instead, portraits of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan Mohan Malaviya were installed.

Bharadwaj, along with Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar, emphasized that the government not only failed to acknowledge a Dalit icon who laid the foundation of women's education in India but also initiated a privilege breach case against MLAs who raised the demand. They view this as a clear reflection of the BJP's anti-Dalit mindset.

During a press conference, Bharadwaj stated, "It is a very strange thing that on the birth anniversary of Mata Savitribai Phule, portraits of Pandit Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya are being installed". He further added that installing even a Dalit icon's portrait would strike a blow against casteism, but the Delhi government missed this opportunity and instead installed portraits of two Brahmins. He also criticized the government for initiating a privilege breach case against MLAs, some of whom are Dalits and from the AAP, for raising the issue.

AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar expressed his sadness that their proposal to install Phule's portrait was suppressed, leading to a privilege breach motion against AAP members, including himself.

Savitribai Phule was a 19th-century social reformer, educationalist, and poet from Maharashtra. Hailed as India's first female teacher and a pioneer of modern Indian feminism, she started teaching girls in Maharwada, Pune. With the help of Sagunabai, a revolutionary feminist, and Jyotirao Phule, Savitribai started a school at Bhide Wada. By 1851, Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule were running three schools in Pune that taught mathematics, science, and social studies.

This is not the first time that the social reformer has been the center of a controversy. In 2023, derogatory remarks against Savitribai Phule were made on Twitter by a handle called @BhardwajSpeaks, which led to the filing of a case against the account and other right-wing websites. The account holder later offered an unconditional apology, claiming that his views were misinterpreted and that he had no intention of defaming the social figure.