New Delhi, April 12, 2025 – Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta hit the brakes on her convoy Friday morning after spotting a man tossing rotis to stray cows on a bustling Shalimar Bagh road, a gesture that warmed hearts but sparked her concern for safety. The BJP leader stepped out, gently urging the car driver—later identified as local shopkeeper Anil Sharma—to feed cows at gaushalas instead, citing risks to animals and traffic (NDTV).
“Gau mata deserves care, but not on roads where they’re in danger,” Gupta told Sharma, per The Indian Express. Her plea, caught on video, shows her pointing to speeding cars—cows dodging a bus by inches. Sharma nodded, promising to visit a nearby shelter. The clip’s gone viral, with X posts gushing, “CM with a heart!”—though some quip, “Traffic fix first!” (post:2). Gupta’s budget already earmarks Rs 40 crore for modern gaushalas (Times of India).
Delhi’s stray cattle issue isn’t new—over 1.5 lakh roam the city, causing 70 accidents monthly (MCD, 2024). Gupta’s push for gaushalas—50 planned by 2026—aims to curb this, but only 12 are operational (The Hindu). “Road feeding invites chaos,” she later tweeted, echoing her March 26 metro pillar cleanup drive (NDTV). For Sharma, it was a wake-up call—he’s now a gaushala regular, locals say.
