Delhi News

In challenge to Amit Shah, Kejriwal says won’t contest Delhi polls if Centre assures houses for all slum-dwellers in court

AAP chief Kejriwal says voting for BJP would be suicidal for slum-dwellers as the party ‘will make you homeless in no less than two months’ to help its ‘rich friends

Issuing a challenge to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said he would not contest the Delhi elections if the BJP withdraws cases related to slum demolitions and gives an undertaking in court that all displaced people would be rehabilitated on land they have been evicted from within 24 hours.

His statement comes a day after the BJP leader, addressing a ‘Jhuggi Basti Pradhan Sammelan’, called upon slum dwellers “to liberate Dilli from this aapda (disaster)”. “Throwing out AAP is the only way to ensure the welfare of slum dwellers of Delhi,” Shah said.

Standing outside the Railway Jhuggi Camp in the Shakur Basti constituency, with MLA and ex-minister Satyendar Jain alongside him, Kejriwal called himself the “protector of slums and slum residents” and said the BJP remembers slum-dwellers only during elections.

“We saw recently how BJP leaders spend a night in different slums. Why now? Why didn’t you come here to sleep at night 10 years ago? All this jhuggi tourism is nothing but drama to get votes. The BJP is a party of rich people. They think of jhuggi people as keeda makoda (insects). Do you think they are spending time here because they love jhuggi residents? No, they are showing love because they want votes from you,” he said. Attacking Shah, Kejriwal said, “In an event yesterday, Shah called people from several jhuggis and abused me. The BJP says jahan jhuggi wahan makan. We also believe in this scheme. But jahan jhuggi wahan kiska makan? Jhuggi walon ke liye? Nahi. Jahan jhuggi wahan inke dost ka makan, builders ka makan. Everyone knows who they are.”

“Withdraw all the cases you have filed against the people of jhuggis, and submit an affidavit in court that you will give houses to all those people on the same land where they lived earlier… I will not contest the elections. I give you this challenge, accept it. Otherwise, Kejriwal will not go anywhere, but will fight the elections, win and stand for the slum people like a shield and will not let you demolish their houses,” he said.

The AAP convenor further said the BJP would prioritise land over slum-dwellers after the polls, citing how the Lieutenant Governor changed the land use of the Shakur Basti slum area to facilitate demolitions on December 27 last year

He also accused the Railways of floating a tender to demolish the railway camp slum last September. “At this railway camp, people think they will get a house under the ‘Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makan’ scheme, while the BJP already had a detailed plan to clear this area three months ago. If you vote for them and make them win, they will make you homeless in no less than two months,” Kejriwal warned.

Hitting out Kejriwal later in the day, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena called his statement a complete lie. Citing the DDA meeting of December 27 last year, he said, “The DDA has neither changed the land use of this colony nor given any eviction or demolition notice. Kejriwal is deliberately telling a blatant lie and misleading the people… Kejriwal ji’s two MLAs were at the DDA meeting on 27 December. If Kejriwal ji had spoken to them (AAP MLAs), perhaps he would not have lied. My advice to him is to stop lying on this subject with immediate effect. Otherwise, DDA will take action against them…”

Hitting back at AAP, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said that in the past 10 years, Kejriwal allowed 50,000 flats built under the Rajiv Awas Yojana in areas like Narela to turn into ruin, without allotting even one flat to any slum dweller, has done nothing to transform slum clusters into model settlements or improve the living standards of the residents.

“The last 10 years bear witness to the fact that Arvind Kejriwal can only provoke people but cannot improve their lives. You have been in power for over a decade. Please explain what your government, DUSIB, or any other department has done for the better rehabilitation of slum dwellers…,” said Sachdeva.

The BJP also promised that every homeless person in Delhi will get a house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Avatar

news

About Author

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may also like

Delhi News

Farmers’ ‘Dilli Chalo’ march to Parliament today, city braces for jams again

  • December 6, 2024
Farmers will resume their ‘Dilli Chalo’ march from the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border, over a host of demands, including a legal guarantee for
Delhi News

Over 40 Delhi Schools Get Bomb Threat, Students Sent Back

  • December 9, 2024
DPS RK Puram and GD Goenka School in Paschim Vihar are among the 44 schools that received a bomb threat, prompting