New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressed a press conference on Monday at noon after holding a meeting with the AAP MLAs on the recent anti-encroachment drive by the BJP-ruled civic bodies in different parts of the city. Criticizing the move, the Delhi Chief Minister said that they are also against illegal constructions and encroachments in Delhi but what the Bhartiya Janta Party is doing is not wrong and now properties of 63 lakh people will be destroyed which will be the biggest destruction after India became independent.
Kejriwal claimed that the national capital is not a planned city and 80 per cent of the national capital consists of illegal construction asking if the BJP-led MCD will remove those buildings also?
The Delhi CM said that BJP is planning to demolish jhuggis, unauthorised colonies and the saffron party has a list of around 3 lakh properties for not constructing their buildings according to the map submitted and permission granted by the civic bodies which also include those who have built a wall or balcony without approval.
He said that destroying all these properties will be the biggest destruction in free India. Targetting the BJP he said, the party did not fulfill its promise which it made during the MCD elections of relocating people living in unauthorised colonies.
He also asked, " the tenure for BJP ruled MCD ends on May 17, so does it have the power to order more demolition drives?"
Reiterating his demands for fresh civic polls in Delhi, he said that BJP is scared of conducting the elections as they know AAP will win this time. Kejriwal also said that he has directed all the AAP leaders to fight against "bulldozer politics" even if they have to go to jail.
The meeting began at 11 am at Kejriwal's official residence in Civil Lines during which a strategy was chalked out to counter the BJP over the demolition drive.
The three civic bodies have been carrying out demolitions in several parts of Delhi, including Shaheen Bagh, Madanpur Khadar, New Friends Colony, Mangolpuri, Karol Bagh, Khyala, and Lodhi Colony.
On Friday, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and urged him to stop the "destruction" in the name of the anti-encroachment drive.
The deputy chief minister had also slammed the "bulldozer politics" of the BJP and claimed that the civic bodies were planning to raze 63 lakh dwellings in the national capital.