AAP MLA claims BJP, Congress conspiring to demolish Malviya Nagar slum

New Delhi: AAP on Wednesday alleged that the BJP and the Congress were conspiring to demolish a slum in the Indira Camp area of south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar.

AAP’s Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti said in a press conference that he had no knowledge of any “demolition exercise” in his assembly segment and neither did the local councillor. “Yet, the Congress candidate was present at the site,” he claimed. Reacting to the allegation, the BJP’s Delhi unit spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor hit out at Bharti and said he had lost political relevance.

AAP legislator Bharti said in the press conference, “In my constituency’s Indira Camp, an incident occurred that exposed the BJP’s real face. It (BJP) launched a ‘Jhuggi Prawas Yojana’, claiming to empathise with residents, but later sent bulldozers to demolish their homes.” He also claimed that the Congress’ Malviya Nagar candidate accepted Rs 1.5 to Rs 2 crore from the BJP to aid its agenda, AAP said in a statement.

Bharti condemned the “demolition” as an example of how both parties were colluding against the public and emphasised AAP’s commitment to protecting city residents. Ward 49 councillor Leena Harish Kumar assured the locals and said, “We will not allow any harm by the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) and always stand ready to serve Delhiites.”

Hitting back at Bharti, the BJP’s Kapoor said in a statement that the AAP lawmaker, having contested the Lok Sabha elections as a nominee of the AAP-Congress alliance, was accusing the Congress’ Assembly

candidate who had worked with him during the parliamentary polls campaign.