AAP, BJP intensify campaign to win votes of slum residents

The AAP claimed that the BJP will “demolish all slums in Delhi” if it is voted to power in the Capital.

With three weeks to go for the Delhi assembly elections, the battle to win over residents of slums — a critical vote bank in the Capital — intensified on Sunday, with both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attempting to woo over electors.

Kejriwal addresses the media at Shakur Basti on Sunday. (HT Photo)

The AAP claimed that the BJP will “demolish all slums in Delhi” if it is voted to power in the Capital. The BJP dismissed the allegation, and alleged that since it came to power in the Capital over a decade ago, the AAP has only “incited people” and has not “improved their lives”.

Estimates suggest that a tenth of Delhi’s voters — 1.5 million people — live in slum clusters, and these electors constitute a major chunk in constituencies such as Narela, Adarsh Nagar, Wazirpur, Model Town, Rajendra Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Badarpur, Tughlakabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Seemapuri, Babarppur, Trilokpuri, Kondli, Okhla, Moti Nagar, Madipur, Shalimar Bagh, Matiala and Kirari.

Kejriwal: BJP plans to demolish slums

Speaking at a slum cluster at Shakur Basti in north Delhi, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the BJP plans to demolish the slums in the city and “hand over the land to builders”.

“The BJP is a party of wealthy people, they just want their votes before the election and they will take their land after the elections,” he claimed.

Kejriwal was accompanied by Satyendar Jain, the sitting MLA from Shakur Basti who is seeking re-election from the seat for a fourth time.

Kejriwal claimed that the BJP’s Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makaan (where there is a slum, there will be a flat) scheme as “an eyewash”.

“The BJP wants to hand over the land of these slums to builders and their friends. In the past 10 years, they have constructed only 4,700 flats for slum residents. There are 400,000 jhuggis in Delhi. It will take 1,000 years to construct homes at this pace,” he said.

“They will demolish all the slums and acquire the land without any concern for the people living there...In this slum (in Shakur Basti), tenders for a project have been issued on September 30, 2024, and slum residents don’t know about it. In December, the land use was also changed, and the slum cluster will be demolished after the election,” he alleged.

He also demanded that Union home minister Amit Shah to within 24 hours “withdraw all court cases against slums” where demolition has taken place over the past decade, promising not to contest the upcoming elections if the land and houses are returned to the displaced slum residents.

“On Saturday, Amit Shah made grand promises to the people living in ‘jhuggis’, claiming he would provide them houses. Today, I challenge Amit Shah and the BJP, in the next 24 hours, withdraw every single case filed against people living in ‘jhuggis’ in courts – be it in the lower courts, High Court, or Supreme Court. File an affidavit in court stating that all the ‘jhuggis’ they demolished in the last ten years will be restored, and all displaced residents will be settled back in their original locations,” he said.

The AAP chief also claimed that the Indian railways has issued tenders for a project on slum land in Shakur Basti.

In response, Northern Railways in a post on X said: “No tender has been issued by the railways for the mentioned slum area. This information is completely misleading. The tender issued on 25 Sept ‘24 for commercial development of Old Rohtak Road was cancelled on 6 Nov ‘24 due to administrative reasons. This too had no connection with the slum area.”

Meanwhile, the BJP alleged that despite Kejriwal’s claims, the income of Delhi’s poor slum-dwelling families is “consumed entirely by electricity bills and water costs”.

No flats provided to slum residents: BJP

Delhi BJP chief Sachdeva at a slum in East Delhi said that in the last 10 years, Arvind Kejriwal has left 50,000 flats of the Rajiv Awas Yojana in areas like Narela to decay into ruins but not a single flat has been provided to people living in slums.

“10 years prove that Arvind Kejriwal can only incite people – he cannot improve their lives. Every poor person knows that PM Modi has provided millions of houses in villages and cities. The BJP’s guarantee to every poor person in Delhi: If slum residents prefer, the slums will remain where they are; Jahan Jhuggi Wahaan Makaan scheme will be available for slum residents, and slum residents will be provided alternative houses/flats by DUSIB/DDA,” Sachdeva said.

Celebrating his birthday at Nehru Camp, a slum near IP Extension, the Delhi BJP chief further alleged that the AAP government in Delhi has not allotted even one of the 50,000 flats built under the Rajiv Awas Yojana in areas such as Narela.

“In 10 years, Arvind Kejriwal allowed 50,000 flats built under the Rajiv Awas Yojana in areas like Narela to turn into ruins, without allotting even one flat to any slum dweller. it is ironic that, despite being in power for over 10 years, Arvind Kejriwal has done nothing to transform slum clusters into model settlements or improve the living standards of the residents,” he said.

In response, the AAP in a statement said, “The BJP must answer: jahan jhuggi, wahan kiske makaan (where there are slums, there whose house will come up)? Will there be homes for the poor or land for their friends? These BJP leaders who once slept in jhuggis and played carrom with children have betrayed them. On December 27, 2024, the LG changed the land use of a jhuggi camp so that a demolition drive could be carried out… In the last 10 years, the BJP has made 300,000 people homeless and now plots to demolish every jhuggi in Delhi.

Lieutenant governor VK Saxena accused the AAP of “deliberately telling a blatant lie” with respect to the change of land use in Shakur Basti.