Senior AAP Leader and Delhi Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bharadawaj on Monday demanded the BJP-led Central Government to present its 10-year report card on Law & Order in the country. He sharply criticized the central government for its inability to ensure public safety and effective law & order management in the national capital. The Minister raised serious concerns over escalating crime, gang violence, and traffic mismanagement during the ongoing festive season, which is witnessing heightened public activity in the city’s markets and public spaces.
Drawing parallels, Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned the Centre’s ability to protect the nation’s borders if it was failing at doing so in Delhi. In a scathing remark, he said that be it Delhi, Northeast or Jammu & Kashmir, the BJP-led Centre has completely failed at controlling the Law & Order situation. He further remarked that the BJP’s incompetence had pushed Delhi into chaos in festive season.
Saurabh Bharadwaj began by highlighting the looming fear among Delhiites as they step out of their homes during festivals like Karwa Chauth, Ahoi, Dhanteras, Diwali, Bhai Dooj, and Chhath Puja. He pointed out that despite the festive cheer, citizens are gripped by fear of gang wars, shootings, and potential bomb threats due to the alarming rise in criminal activities under BJP’s watch. “At a time when Delhi’s markets are packed with people, people are afraid to step out of their homes, wondering if a gang war will break out, if gunfire will start, if a bomb will go off somewhere, or if someone will break into a house and commit murder or robbery. And all of this is happening under the rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which governs at the center. Is the central government of the BJP so incompetent that it cannot even manage the law and order of a city like Delhi? People don’t even consider Delhi a state; they just call it a city.”
He emphasized that incidents of gun violence have become rampant, with shootings taking place in locations as varied as sweet shops, car showrooms, hotels, banquet halls, and even public streets. “If you can’t handle a city that’s just 50 kilometers by 50 kilometers, how will you protect the country’s borders? Delhi is the nation’s capital, where the Prime Minister’s residence is, Rashtrapati Bhavan is, the Supreme Court is, the High Court is, all the ministries are, the country’s Parliament is, the Red Fort is, India Gate is. The entire administrative machinery is here. Delhi Police is here. NSG is here. NIA is here. All the headquarters are here, and even if an organization doesn’t have its headquarters here, its top official is stationed here. And yet, this is the situation—that every gang is active in Delhi. I don’t want to name them because I don’t want to give them any more fame, as the BJP has already made them quite famous.”
He added, “There’s gunfire everywhere—at sweet shops, at car showrooms, inside hotels, on the streets at banquet halls. In Greater Kailash, just the other evening, under a gym, the gym owner was murdered. An elderly couple, aged around 80, lived in Rohini. Criminals pretending to be couriers entered their home, tied them up, and looted Rs 5 crore.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned the role of the Union Home Minister and Delhi Police, which falls directly under the central government’s jurisdiction, accusing them of incompetence and a lack of accountability. “Where is the Home Minister? Delhi’s law and order is in shambles under the BJP’s rule, with gangsters running amok, and they still ask for more power over Delhi. The BJP has been in charge of Delhi Police for ten years, yet they have failed miserably. And it’s not even like their work gets hindered. Delhi Police is in your hands. All the transfers and postings are in your hands. You appoint whoever you want. You make whoever you wish the joint CP, special CP, CP, even the LG.,” he added.
He also lambasted the BJP for worsening Delhi’s traffic situation. He recounted his personal experience, stating it took him more than an hour to traverse short distances within the city due to poor traffic management. “Delhi’s traffic is completely unmanageable, and the BJP has done nothing to improve it despite having control over the traffic police. What have they done to ease the congestion? Absolutely nothing,” he said.
He added, “And if you ask them to improve security, what will they do? After two press conferences on security, they’ll set up barricades every three kilometers and create chaos for the public. They’ll place barricades in front of IIT. They’ll place barricades on Mathura Road. They’ll place barricades everywhere, and public transportation will come to a standstill as cars and buses inch through those barricades. Unmanned barricades will be their version of security. This is the BJP’s set protocol for security measures. Wasn’t this the same BJP that used to say, “Tell us what needs to be done, and we will fix it”?”
In his sharp critique, Saurabh Bharadwaj also referred to the BJP’s handling of national security issues, particularly in Kashmir. “For the last ten years, they have been in charge of Kashmir’s security. First, they were in government with Mehbooba Mufti, and after they toppled that government, they took control of Kashmir. They made it a Union Territory. Even now, they control the law and order there. They used to say that after they took charge, that the state would flourish with investments from other states. Now, where are the BJP’s workers? How many of them have gone to Kashmir to set up factories or develop the area?”
He continued, “Not a single BJP worker has gone to Kashmir. Even famous personalities from the film industry who are connected to Kashmir do not trust the BJP to ensure their safety. Even someone like Anupam Kher does not believe that the BJP can protect them. A few days ago, I visited the Kashmiri Colony in my constituency, and the residents said no one is returning because the situation is not right.”
He accused the central government of betraying the Kashmiri Pandit community by failing to provide them with the promised safety and resettlement opportunities. He also expressed concerns over the targeted killings of migrant laborers in Kashmir, stressing that terrorists have sent a clear message against outsiders, while the government remains ineffective. “They’ve deceived the Kashmiri Pandits too. Even those Pandits who stayed in Kashmir and continued working there are now being shot dead by terrorists, and the central government has been powerless to do anything about it. Yesterday in Kashmir, migrant laborers were specifically targeted, and seven of them were killed. Why? Because terrorists are sending a clear message: they will not tolerate outsiders in Kashmir. What should the central government have done? They should have sent 5,000 people, saying, “We will send 5,000 brave BJP workers to rebuild the region.”
“The BJP boasts about collecting missed calls to gather support, but why aren’t they asking for volunteers to go to Kashmir and build factories? Instead of boasting, they should be sending people and ensuring their safety,” he added.
Saurabh Bharadwaj concluded by urging the BJP to focus on fixing the issues they are responsible for in Delhi, such as law and order and traffic management, rather than making lofty promises and politicizing security issues. “There should be factories opening there. The BJP is failing on every front—whether in Kashmir, the Northeast, or even Delhi. They can’t handle Delhi’s law and order, gangsters, gang wars, or traffic. Yet, they are asking for control over more areas of Delhi. You’ve already been given Delhi’s traffic police, and you’ve done nothing. Delhi Police is in your hands, and you’ve done nothing. Even the DDA, but there the Vice Chairman is facing contempt. The Supreme Court is questioning the LG. Thus I demand the BJP and the Home Minister to present its report card on Law and Order over the last 10 years.”
