In yet another ruthless move against the poor and marginalized, the BJP-led administration has now turned its demolition drive toward Shalimar Bagh’s Indira Camp—located in the constituency of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta—and Lal Bagh in Rohtash Nagar. Eviction notices have already been served, triggering panic and fear among jhuggi residents who now face the prospect of losing their homes.
The Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Atishi, slammed the BJP’s betrayal of Delhi’s working-class families. “During elections, PM Modi and the BJP promised ‘jahan jhuggi, wahan makaan’. But today, their guarantee has been exposed for what it truly is—‘jahan jhuggi, wahan maidan’,” she said. Vowing to resist the demolitions, she declared that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would fight to protect these homes both on the streets and inside the Assembly.
Senior AAP leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Atishi, along with AAP’s former MLA from Shalimar Bagh Vandana Kumari, Shalimar Bagh Councillor Jalaj Chaudhary, and Rohtas Nagar Councillor Shivani Panchal, held a joint press conference at the party headquarters on Friday to expose the BJP’s systematic demolition of jhuggis across Delhi.
During this, Delhi Assembly LoP Atishi said, “Before the elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised every jhuggi dweller in Delhi a pucca house. Cards emblazoned with ‘Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makaan’ were distributed to the poor. He assured that not a single jhuggi would be demolished until residents were given new homes. But ever since BJP formed its so-called four-engine government six months ago, bulldozers have been deployed one by one on the homes of the poor.”
The Delhi Assembly LoP declared, “The truth is now clear—BJP never meant ‘Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makaan’. What they really meant was ‘Jahan Jhuggi hai, usey Maidan bana denge’ (all the existing jhuggis will be bulldozed and turned into grounds). In the past six months, demolitions have taken place in Madarasi Camp, Bhoomihieen Camp, Wazirpur, Jailerwala Bagh, Gokulpur, and Madipur. Now two more demolitions are planned. A notice has been put up in Indira Camp in Shalimar Bagh warning that bulldozers will arrive in 15 days. This falls under the constituency of CM Rekha Gupta, who repeatedly claims that not a single jhuggi will be razed. Yet, a jhuggi in her own constituency has already been demolished, and another is under imminent threat.”
Atishi further stated, “People have been living in the jhuggis of Indira Camp since the 1990s. The then Delhi administration issued them tokens and cards. These families have lived here for over 35 years. Yet, BJP’s four-engine government is ready to raze their homes. Similarly, a notice has been pasted in the Lal Bagh jhuggis on Shahdara’s GT Road, saying bulldozers will come on 31 July. Here too, residents hold allotment cards issued in 1990. No government has touched their homes for decades, but since the BJP came to power, demolitions are happening one after another.”
Issuing a stern warning to the BJP, Atishi said, “Don’t underestimate the strength of the poor. These people run Delhi. They work in homes, shops, factories. They drive autos, rickshaws, buses, and other vehicles. If the government dares to destroy their homes, these very people will come out onto the streets and stop Delhi from functioning. AAP has always fought for the rights of the poor and will continue to do so. We will protest on the streets, take this fight to court, and raise it in Parliament and the Assembly. We will not allow BJP to demolish jhuggis.”
Former Shalimar Bhagh MLA Vandana Kumari recounted the panic that spread in Indira Camp on Thursday. “Around 2 pm, a notice was suddenly pasted ordering residents to vacate their homes in 15 days. People were terrified and confused. They didn’t know what to do. This is the same constituency where CM Rekha Gupta lives. Despite her repeated assurances, bulldozers have already razed one jhuggi here, and now Indira Camp faces the same fate. People are scared and asking—where will they go after 15 days?”
She called the move part of BJP’s anti-poor agenda. “AAP will not allow a single bulldozer to roll into Shalimar Bagh. From the beginning, AAP has stood with the urban poor. Bulldozers can only be allowed after pucca homes are provided. Under Arvind Kejriwal’s government, jhuggis were relocated respectfully into permanent housing. If even one jhuggi is touched, AAP and Arvind Kejriwal’s entire team will stand shoulder to shoulder with the poor.”
Shalimar Bagh Councillor Jalaj Chaudhary said, “Indira Camp falls in my Ward 55. After the notice was put up, the despair was palpable. Residents recalled Modi’s promise—‘not a single jhuggi will be demolished’ and ‘Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makaan’. But every mother, sister, elder, and youth was disheartened. Families couldn’t even cook that night. They cried and waited, but there was no one to guide them.”
He added, “Poor people across Delhi are being deliberately targeted. Shalimar Bagh is CM Rekha Gupta’s constituency and has a large Purvanchali population. With elections nearing in Bihar, people believe this is a political move to target UP and Bihar migrants. BJP’s spokespersons have used derogatory language against Purvanchalis in the past. This politics will backfire. AAP and all its leaders will fight for jhuggi dwellers and ensure not a single jhuggi is demolished in Shalimar Bagh.”
Rohtas Nagar Councillor Shivani Panchal said, “In my ward, a notice was pasted at 4 pm on Thursday, asking residents to vacate their homes by 31 July. People called me saying they were being threatened. Across Delhi, bulldozers are being used to instill fear. In Lal Bagh, poor residents are being threatened with homelessness. This morning, a small girl asked me—if her house is demolished, which school will she go to? We ask BJP—what kind of darkness are you pushing our country’s future into?”
She reminded BJP of its past. “Their MPs, MLAs, and ministers once spent nights in Lal Bagh’s jhuggis, played carrom with children. Today, those very leaders are silent as the bulldozers roll in. Where are they now? Under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, we will stand united with the poor and fight shoulder to shoulder. We will never stop opposing BJP’s dictatorship.”
