In yet another stark display of its anti-poor bulldozer politics, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ordered the demolition of jhuggis in Delhi’s Jailerwala Bagh, Wazirpur—sparking outrage across the city. When Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s Purvanchal Cell President and former MLA Akhileshpati Tripathi arrived to stand with displaced families, Delhi Police swiftly arrested him. The move drew sharp condemnation from AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj, senior leader Manish Sisodia, MP Sanjay Singh, Delhi Assembly LoP Atishi, National Media In-charge Anurag Dhanda, and other party leaders, who slammed the BJP for using state power to crush the voices of the vulnerable.
AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal took to ‘X’ and questioned the BJP’s intentions behind the demolitions, “What exactly does the BJP want? Do they want to demolish all of Delhi’s slums? Then why did Prime Minister Modi lie during elections by saying ‘Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makaan’?”
AAP’s Jhuggi-Jhopdi Cell in-charge and former MLA Akhilesh Pati Tripathi, who was arrested along with party workers, condemned the demolition as illegal and in violation of a High Court stay. “Despite the High Court stay, we were arrested for protesting the demolition of jhuggis without providing alternative housing,” said Akhilesh Pati Tripathi.
Delhi State President of AAP, Saurabh Bharadwaj, pointed out that CM Rekha Gupta has broken her promise. “Despite assuring that not a single jhuggi would be demolished, CM Rekha Gupta has gone back on her word. On Monday morning, around a dozen bulldozers razed poor people’s jhuggis in Jailerwala Bagh. This is the same BJP that promised ‘Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makaan’. Even the Prime Minister had assured the residents that permanent housing would be provided before any eviction. Today, with BJP in power, they are demolishing jhuggis across the city without giving homes to the residents.”
He added that when Akhilesh Pati Tripathi went to raise the voice of the displaced, he was taken into custody, “Where have the homes been given to those whose jhuggis were razed in Jailerwala Bagh? If no homes were given, how can the jhuggis be demolished? What happened to BJP’s pre-election drama of staying overnight in jhuggis?”
In a post on X, Saurabh Bharadwaj further wrote: “Akhilesh Pati Tripathi was detained by Delhi Police for opposing BJP government’s bulldozers. Since the BJP came to power, homes and livelihoods of the poor are being destroyed. CM Rekha Gupta is busy touring Punjab, while bulldozers run daily in Delhi. Where were the homes given before evictions? What happened to the ‘Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makaan’ promise? What happened to BJP’s jhuggi-stay drama before elections?”
Senior AAP leader and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia also reacted strongly on X: “Whenever AAP has raised its voice for the poor, BJP has sent police to crush us. Last week, Atishi ji was forcibly detained, and now former MLA Akhilesh Pati Tripathi has been detained. Has fighting for the poor become a crime in this country? If yes, then we will continue to raise our voice louder against BJP’s ‘Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Bulldozer’ politics.”
Senior AAP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Atishi, took to ‘X’ and wrote: “On May 31, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta said that not a single jhuggi would be demolished. On June 11, the Bhoomiheen Camp was razed. Today, on June 16, jhuggis in Jailerwala Bagh, Ashok Vihar were demolished. Thousands of poor families have been forced onto the streets. Rekha Gupta ji: the curses of these poor families will come back to haunt you.”
Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh denounced the targeted treatment of Purvanchali migrants: “People from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are being treated like enemy citizens in Delhi. Their homes and shops are being bulldozed, and when they protest, Purvanchal Cell President Akhilesh Pati Tripathi is arrested. We will not forget any of this.”
AAP’s National Media In-charge Anurag Dhanda condemned the bulldozing spree: “Will BJP’s bulldozer only rest after evicting all the poor from Delhi? Only AAP leaders are standing up for the poor in this city.”
The Aam Aadmi Party demanded an immediate halt to illegal demolitions, release of detained leaders, and strict accountability from CM Rekha Gupta and the Central Government for failing to uphold their promises to the urban poor.
