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Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Greater Kailash assembly seat Saurabh Bhardwaj has accused the BJP-led central government of demolishing 12 slums in Delhi over the past two years and filing court cases for further demolitions. He demanded that the BJP withdraw these cases if it truly cares for the slum dwellers.
Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Bhardwaj said, "In the last 2 years, BJP government and its agencies have demolished about 12 slums in Delhi... Several cases have been filed in court by the central government, demanding that these slum clusters be demolished... If BJP is a well-wisher of these slum dwellers, then all the cases filed in the court should be withdrawn in the next 2 days." Bhardwaj, the sitting MLA, is contesting against BJP's Shikha Rai and Congress' Garvit Singhvi from the Greater Kailash assembly seat. Earlier in the day, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu criticised AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, questioning why slums still exist in Delhi despite his three terms as chief minister. Speaking to ANI, Bittu said, "Kejriwal should answer why there are slums remaining at all. You became the CM thrice and, how do slums still remain in Delhi? Now he is doing slum politics. he says he will give a thousand rupees, does he not feel ashamed? Kejriwal does the same fraud in Punjab, and he cheats the people of Delhi in the same way. But now it is the limit. His expiry date has arrived now." On Monday, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal warned slum dwellers that the BJP loves their votes and not them and will sell off their land after the elections. Addressing a public rally, Kejriwal said, "I want to warn the slum dwellers that these days they (people of BJP) are staying in slums, they do not love you, they love your vote and will sell all your land after the elections." Notably, in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a special initiative to connect with slum voters. As part of this, BJP leaders, including MPs and MLAs, have been staying overnight in slum areas to connect directly with the residents. The party's campaign, titled "Where There's a Slum, There's a House," is being promoted by the central government. The Delhi Assembly elections will take place in a single phase on February 5, and the counting of votes is set for February 8. A total of 699 candidates are competing for the 70 assembly seats in Delhi. The Congress, which was in power for 15 consecutive years in Delhi, has suffered setbacks in the last two assembly elections and has failed to win any seat. In contrast, the AAP dominated the 2015 and 2020 assembly elections by winning 67 and 62 seats respectively out of a total of 70 seats while the BJP got only three and eight seats. (ANI)
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