Rekha Gupta's Rs 66,000 Chair Has Gone Viral: Here Is What Makes It So Special & So Controversial
Rekha Gupta's Rs 66,000 Chair Has Gone Viral: Here Is What Makes It So Special & So Controversial Published By, Edited By Last Updated: May
Rekha Gupta's Rs 66,000 Chair Has Gone Viral: Here Is What Makes It So Special & So Controversial Published By, Edited By Last Updated: May 26, 2026, 14:42 IST The Red Oak Imperio — with zero-gravity recline, built-in massager and a price tag of up to Rs 82,600 — has turned a routine office photo into Delhi's latest political flashpoint. Delhi CM Rekha Gupta meets actor Rakesh Bedi — but it was her Rs 66,000 Red Oak Imperio chair, not the guest, that stole the spotlight. A single image posted on Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s official account has divided social media — with critics pointing to water-starved Dwarka and supporters pointing right back at Kejriwal’s Rs 33-crore bungalow. It started, as so many controversies do, with a photograph posted without a second thought. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta shared an image from a meeting with actor Rakesh Bedi on May 25 — and within hours, the chair she was sitting in had become the story. Met veteran actor Shri Rakesh Bedi Ji at the Delhi Secretariat.A distinguished Delhiite, Shri Rakesh Bedi Ji continues to command admiration across generations. His recent role in Dhurandhar has particularly resonated with younger audiences. We also discussed Delhi’s growing… pic.twitter.com/bH0WiyAkuE — Rekha Gupta (@gupta_rekha) May 25, 2026 The chair in question is a Red Oak ‘Imperio’, a premium executive seat loaded with features: an electronic multi-point massage system, automatic footrest, deep zero-gravity reclining that transforms it into a full lounge setup, high-density foam cushioning, and genuine leather upholstery. It is priced between Rs 66,000 and Rs 82,600.
The image, posted on Gupta’s official account, drew immediate attention online — setting off a debate that split sharply along predictable political lines, with AAP reaching for outrage and BJP supporters reaching for a counter-punch that has been sitting in their arsenal since 2022. What Made It Go Viral? The timing and the optics combined in an uncomfortable way. Gupta had, since taking charge as Chief Minister in February 2025 — marking BJP’s return to power in Delhi after a 27-year gap — cultivated a deliberately accessible public image. She made headlines early in her tenure for choosing to travel by the Delhi Metro rather than a cavalcade. That carefully built image of austerity made the contrast with a massager-equipped, zero-gravity executive chair all the sharper — and social media users were quick to point it out, generating memes that set the Metro commutes against the Imperio’s price tag. What Did The Critics Say? The sharpest political attack came from AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha, who framed the chair not as a matter of price but of priorities. Delhi, he pointed out, is a city where areas like Dwarka face daily water shortfalls of 250 million gallons. Against that backdrop, the image of the Chief Minister in a leather-upholstered, massage-enabled chair worth up to Rs 82,600 was, in his telling, a statement of misplaced governance. Critics also questioned whether the chair was purchased using public funds — a question that, notably, neither the government nor Gupta’s office has clearly addressed in public statements so far. What Did Supporters Say? The defence came just as fast — and it had a sharper edge.
Supporters on X were quick to invoke the Rs 33.66 crore spent renovating former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s official bungalow — the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ controversy that Gupta herself had repeatedly cited as a symbol of AAP’s misuse of public money. Compared to that, a single office chair looked like small change. “Rekha Gupta ji is the Chief Minister of the capital Delhi, can’t she even sit on a 60 thousand rupee chair?" asked one user on X. “These days even an ordinary MLA wears shoes worth lakhs, and here it’s the Chief Minister’s chair. So why is all this fuss being made?" Supporters also argued that a Chief Minister’s office furniture is a standard part of state government infrastructure, and that as long as procurement rules were followed, targeting a senior public official over ergonomic seating was an engineered political distraction — particularly rich coming from a party whose former leader oversaw a multi-crore bungalow renovation. The Double Standard Argument One of the more pointed observations came from a user who stepped outside the partisan frame entirely. “Many are arguing that Rs 66,800 or even Rs 1.1 lakh is not a big sum for a Chief Minister’s chair. They are probably right — it isn’t. But that’s not the point," the post read. “Let’s be honest: if a Chief Minister from the opposition, like Mamata Banerjee or Arvind Kejriwal, had been sitting in that very chair, can anyone even imagine the scale of outrage from the IT cell ecosystem?" Many are arguing that ₹66,800 or even ₹1.1 lakh is not a big sum for a Chief Minister’s chair.
They are probably right – it isn’t. But that’s not the point.Let’s be honest: if a Chief Minister from the opposition, like Mamata Banerjee or Arvind Kejriwal, had been sitting in… — SamSays (@samjawed65) May 26, 2026 That observation — that the controversy reveals as much about who is doing the criticising as it does about the chair — found considerable traction and cut through the noise more than most partisan takes. The Sheesh Mahal Shadow The Sheesh Mahal comparison has given BJP supporters an effective counter-argument — but it has not fully quietened the questions. Gupta had publicly demanded that the money spent on Kejriwal’s bungalow be returned to the people of Delhi, saying no one has the right to misuse public funds. For now, Gupta has not responded to the chair controversy. Her office has also not clarified whether the Imperio was purchased using government funds or privately. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: May 26, 2026, 14:42 IST News cities new-delhi-news Rekha Gupta's Rs 66,000 Chair Has Gone Viral: Here Is What Makes It So Special & So Controversial Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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