In a fiery rebuttal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has condemned the BJP’s latest move to target the ‘jhuggis’ (shanties) of Delhi’s poor, pointing out the BJP harboring an “anti-poor mentality.”
AAP’s Chief Spokesperson (National) Priyanka Kakkar likened the BJP’s actions to those in Kashi and Ayodhya, vowing to halt bulldozers from razing homes in Madrasi Camp. As demolition notices loom, AAP MLA from Jangpura Praveen Kumar has also stepped in, promising to take the fight from the streets to the courts to protect the vulnerable.
AAP chief spokesperson (National) Priyanka Kakkar held a joint press conference with AAP MLA from Jangpura Praveen Kumar and Councillor Sarika Chaudhary against BJP’s ‘bulldozer politics’ at the party headquarters. During this, Priyanka Kakkar showed the media a video of a public meeting of PM Narendra Modi before the Delhi Assembly elections. In this video, the PM had said, “Where there is a ‘jhuggi’, there should be a house and the poor should also have the right to live with dignity. We have decided that wherever there are poor people in ‘jhuggis’, we will get them their own permanent house. That house will have water, electricity, and a toilet.”
The Chief AAP Spokesperson stated that the Madrasi Camp in Jangpura comes under Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB). The ‘jhuggis’ cannot be demolished without rehabilitating the people living there. But what BJP did in Ram’s city Ayodhya and Kashi, it is doing the same here now. BJP is running bulldozers on ‘jhuggis’. Because the BJP is anti-poor. As soon as the elections are over, the BJP’s objective is over.
Referring to a press conference held by MLA Praveen Kumar on August 6, Priyanka Kakkar said that he had said that many people used to set up hawkers, with licenses, on the Barapullah Bridge of Jangpura for the last 40-50 years. These people had taken loans under PM Nidhi. BJP got those hawkers removed on August 6. At the same time, now BJP is preparing to run bulldozers on the houses of people living in Madrasi Camp for 50-60 years without any information and by defaming the AAP. But the AAP will not let this happen and it will stand with these poor people. From the road to the court, we will keep raising our voices for their rights.
The Chief AAP Spokesperson said, “BJP is always engaged in illegally demolishing the houses of the poor and snatching away employment, but it’s bulldozer has never been seen going to the house of any billionaire. Why does BJP have a problem with the poor? Is there a plan to do the same in Delhi as it did in Mumbai’s Dharavi by getting all the slums vacated and giving the entire land to their friend Adani? When will we see that BJP will stand up for the rights of the poor?”
Meanwhile, AAP MLA from Jangpura Praveen Kumar said that it has been 50-60 years since Barapullah Madrasi Camp was settled. Delhi has a rehabilitation policy. DUSIB works to provide services in slums. DUSIB made a policy in 2015 under which if any JJ cluster is registered with DUSIB, then it cannot be demolished without rehabilitating the people living there. This policy has also been approved by the central government. Madrasi Camp is registered at number 219 on the DUSIB website and it is written there that next to it is the land of the Railway Department under the Central Government.
“The LG came to Barapullah 20 days ago and first he got the street vendors removed and now all those people have become unemployed. The tears of those people had not even dried yet when the LG has now pasted a notice to run a bulldozer on the JJ cluster. He has sent this notice by pressuring the PWD, whereas PWD has nothing to do with that land. In the list of DUSIB, the land where Madrasi Camp is located is registered as belonging to the Railway Department. Despite it being Railway land, PWD has pasted a notice. Officers in Delhi are under so much pressure that they are doing anything at his behest,” said the AAP MLA.
Praveen Kumar said that when this issue came to the notice of PWD Minister Atishi, she wrote a letter and clearly instructed the department officials that the land belongs to the Railways Department. There is no document to prove that this land belongs to PWD. This notice is completely illegal and this action should be stopped immediately. The minister has prohibited any demolition action in Madrasi Camp. If any action is taken, legal action will follow in response.
Praveen Kumar said that people have been living in Madrasi Camp for 50-60 years, but BJP has planned to uproot that colony suddenly through the LG. He said questioning the BJP that before the elections, the BJP promised to give houses at the same place where the ‘jhuggis’ are located, but why does it take revenge on Delhiites after the elections. Doesn’t the BJP remember its promises?
“First, with the support of the BJP, the LG got the hawkers removed from Barapullah and now has given notice to the people living in JJ cluster. The BJP should tell whether it has so much enmity with the people living there that they will have to vacate the entire area. In the last two-three years, 4-5 thousand shanties and hawkers have been removed and thrown away in the Jangpura assembly constituency. The people of Delhi are demanding answers to these questions. Why do the intentions of the BJP change after the elections?” shared the AAP MLA.
On the other hand, Sarika Chaudhary said that this is very sad news. LG Saab has created a lot of terror in her ward. “I have won the councilor election by defeating BJP badly. BJP people could not tolerate this and are constantly taking revenge for that defeat. Earlier, when G-20 was held, the slums in front of Pragati Maidan were about to be demolished. We tried a lot to save those slums from being demolished, but BJP people said that many VIPs will come. When they see the slums, the country will be defamed,” she added.
“We had also demanded to put tin in the entire area, so that no one can see these slums. But LG Saab did not listen to a single thing of ours and without giving any notice, the slums were bulldozed at 4 am. No one was even given a chance to vacate their house. These people were not given any living facility,” shared the AAP councilor from Daryaganj ward 142.
She mentioned, “In my ward itself is Bela State, which is situated on the banks of river Yamuna. People were living here and doing farming for 70-80 years, but LG Saab finished the Bela State. Today those people are wandering from door to door. Similarly, there were more than 800 houses in Sunder Nursery and more than 5,000 people were living there. All those slums were demolished in two days.”
The AAP councilor further added that AAP and CM Arvind Kejriwal always try to save the slums. During the Lok Sabha elections, people have been living in Nizamuddin Basti for 100 years, that slum was specially targeted and all the shops there were sealed. Houses were demolished. In this way, before the elections, BJP created an entire environment to defame AAP. But the people of Delhi know that Arvind Kejriwal always works for the welfare of the people.
“PM Modi talks about providing houses where there is a slum. Yet a poor person’s house is demolished without any notice. No facilities are provided either. Most of the women of Madrasi Camp work in people’s homes and people do labor work. Where will these people go and how will they rent houses? Nothing was thought about this and within five days a notice was given to vacate the slum. We have gone to the High Court, we hope that the High Court will give a positive result. In support of the slum dwellers, we will fight our battle from the court to the Parliament,” concluded Sarika Chaudhary.