In a shocking display of authoritarian overreach, senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former MLA Somnath Bharti was stopped by Delhi Police from peacefully interacting with jhuggi residents in Valmiki Camp, Malviya Nagar on Sunday. Somnath Bharti, who shares a long-standing emotional bond with the residents, condemned the move, saying, “This is no longer a democracy—it feels like an Emergency. I went to speak with my people, my extended family, and the BJP government sent the police to stop me.
Somnath Bharti further pointed to the BJP’s betrayal, reminding that the party had promised “jhuggi ke jagah makaan” (housing in place of jhuggis) during elections. “Today, instead of fulfilling that promise, they are evicting the same people they once made assurances to,” he said, calling it a cruel reversal of electoral commitments.
Senior AAP leader Somnath Bharti stated, “Today, the BJP sent police to stop a peaceful dialogue I was having with residents of Valmiki Camp. This is not just regrettable, it’s shocking. We have been warning that there is an undeclared Emergency in the country, and today we saw a clear manifestation of it. I am a three-time elected MLA from this constituency and have also served as a Minister,” Somnath Bharti said.
The AAP leader asserted that he shares a familial bond with the residents of Valmiki Camp. “These people are like my family. Their pain is my own. And yet, today I was stopped from even speaking with them. Has it come to a point where I cannot even talk to my own constituents? The BJP inflicts pain, then doesn’t let people cry, and now doesn’t even allow conversation. The people of Malviya Nagar are anguished and distressed. The BJP had promised to build houses where there are jhuggis, but now, they’ve flattened those jhuggis and created empty plots. Their goal is to demolish jhuggis and hand over the land to their rich friends,” he stated.
Somnath Bharti reminded the public that the BJP had promised “Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makaan” during elections, but is now doing the exact opposite. “Jhuggis that are 50-60 years old—in Wazirpur, Madrasi Camp, Okhla, Nizamuddin, Batla House—are being demolished. The helpless poor, who struggle every day just to survive, are being thrown out of their homes. Where will their children go? Where will the women go? These are workers, rickshaw-pullers, street vendors—and today all of them are being rendered homeless,” Somnath Bharti said.
Speaking about his own constituency, Bharti pointed out that there are two jhuggi clusters—Valmiki Camp and Indira Camp—as well as another in Navjeevan Vihar area. “These people had many questions and concerns. I went to speak with them, but the BJP sent police and disrupted the meeting. This is what Emergency looks like. There is an atmosphere of Emergency across the country. The BJP seems to have decided to make life miserable for every citizen in Delhi—inflicting suffering and then denying the people even the dignity of protesting against it,” he concluded.
