AAP: BJP demolished several slums in Delhi

New Delhi: Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Cabinet minister, Saurabh Bharadwaj, addressed a press conference on Tuesday, accusing the BJP-led Central government of demolishing thousands of slums in Delhi over the past two years. He claimed the demolitions, carried out by various government agencies under BJP’s control, have left many poor families homeless.

Bharadwaj stated, “Now that the Delhi Assembly elections are just two months away, the BJP is suddenly concerned about the slum dwellers. They are claiming that BJP leaders will stay in slums to show solidarity.” He further reminded the public that the same BJP government had demolished slums across Delhi, with agencies like DDA, ASI, and the Railway Department using bulldozers to evict people from their homes. He noted that these slums had been settled for over a decade before the AAP came into power.

He highlighted that there is a law in Delhi prohibiting the demolition of slums in areas listed under DUSIB (Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board) unless permanent housing is provided to the residents. Bharadwaj pointed out that the BJP government had violated this law by demolishing such slums, including the ones near the Sunlight Nursery area, which were part of DUSIB’s listed clusters.

He also mentioned that AAP leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, will visit the demolished areas, such as Sunlight Nursery, and remind residents that it was the BJP’s central government that had torn down their homes. “This is the same BJP that is now pretending to be the friend of slum dwellers,” said Bharadwaj.