NEW DELHI: Amid allegations and counter allegations over demolition of slums in the city, the AAP launched a scathing attack on the ruling BJP government after bulldozers rolled into Bhoomiheen Camp in Kalkaji area, demolishing hundreds of jhuggis, and leaving families to watch helplessly as their homes were razed before their eyes.
The party alleged that hours before a scheduled court hearing at 11 am, the BJP government defied its own promise of “not a single jhuggi will be touched” and unleashed buldozers on Delhi’s most vulnerable population.
Visiting the site, local MLA and Leader of the Opposition Atishi slammed the BJP for betraying the poor and called the demolition a deliberate assault on the marginalized. She said the BJP is an “anti-poor party.”
Accusing the government of hypocrisy, Atishi stated, “Just three days ago, CM Rekha Gupta had claimed that not a single jhuggi would be demolished and no poor person’s home would be touched. Yet, under the cover of heavy police presence, the entire Bhoomiheen Camp was razed to the ground – displacing thousands of people and leaving them homeless on the streets.”
She noted that a court hearing on the matter was scheduled for 11 am on Wednesday, yet the demolitions were carried out before the hearing, questioning the BJP’s intent and legal ethics. She further said in the 100 days of BJP’s rule, it has consistently taken steps against the interests of the poor.