The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed on Friday (January 12) that the Central government, led by the BJP, intends to "demolish all slums in Delhi". During a press conference, Delhi cabinet ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj stated that the ongoing demolitions of slums in the national capital lack humane treatment and do not offer rehabilitation to the affected residents.
Atishi highlighted that on January 9, the Centre instructed key land-owning bodies like the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to eradicate all slum clusters within the city.
She further alleged that ahead of every election in Delhi, whether for the Lok Sabha, Assembly, or MCD, the BJP pledges to construct homes for slum inhabitants. According to Atishi, BJP leaders visit slums, distribute forms promising housing, and release advertisements on this commitment.
Citing an example, Atishi mentioned an incident where Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed approximately 500 flats to residents in Kalkaji just before the MCD polls. However, she claimed that shortly after the election, the DDA, governed by the BJP, initiated slum demolitions near the same housing complex.
Atishi alleged: "Soon after the election, the prime minister handed the keys to the flats in a housing complex to people, while the BJP-governed DDA ordered the demolition of the slums adjacent to that complex".
Atishi expressed concern that post-elections, the BJP either razes slums, displaces residents to sidewalks, or relocates them to distant areas lacking essential amenities such as employment opportunities, educational institutions, and transport facilities.
Accompanying her sentiments, Bharadwaj pointed out that the Centre's actions seem to target 'jhuggi jhopri' (JJ) colonies systematically. He stressed that the responsibility falls on land-owning agencies to rehabilitate slum residents and highlighted instances where JJ clusters were dismantled despite court directives.
Bharadwaj also emphasised that most of the recent demolition activities occurred on central government-owned land, impacting numerous schoolchildren and women involved in various jobs.
In response, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva refuted AAP's claims, blaming the Delhi government for obstructing the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana's execution in Delhi. He alleged that around 50,000 constructed Rajiv Awas houses intended for the urban poor remain unallocated due to the AAP's inaction.
Sachdeva further mentioned that while the DDA has rolled out 'Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makan' projects at multiple Delhi locations following Central directives, the city administration has failed to implement the scheme on its land for one JJ cluster.
"The DDA, on the instructions of the Centre, has implemented 'Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makan' projects at three places in Delhi, but the city government has not implemented the scheme at a jhuggi cluster on one of its land," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.