In Delhi, ownership rights in illegal colonies to be BJP’s poll focus

The Centre’s recent decision to recognise ownership rights of people living in unauthorised colonies is going to be one of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) primary planks in the national capital for the upcoming general elections. Gearing up for the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP’s Delhi unit is planning an extensive campaign to reach out to voters living in such colonies,who constitute around 30-35% of the city’s population.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said property ownership is the most important concern for the lakhs of people living in the unauthorised colonies. “During my visits to the unauthorised colonies, one of the main demands has been regarding ownership rights. This is more important than the regularisation of their colonies, and will help create social and civic infrastructure. The Centre’s decision will help them register property transactions, which has been done by general power of attorney with the government till now,” Tiwari said.

On Monday, Tiwari, along with senior state unit members, met Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri to discuss the decision taken by the Union cabinet in its March 7 meeting. The Centre has formed a 10-member committee under Delhi lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal to help with the recognising process.

BJP leaders say they will carry out door-to-door campaigns in unauthorised colonies to highlight the work done by the BJP-led government and the failure of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.

“We have taken concrete steps to provide them relief, while they (AAP) have been sitting on the matter. We will reach out to people and tell them about the work done by us,” Rajesh Bhatia, general secretary of Delhi BJP, said.

The BJP hopes to make inroads in unauthorised colonies, which were so far an AAP vote bank and previously a Congress stronghold.

The BJP hit out at the AAP government for “sitting on the issue of regularisation of unauthorised colonies”. Union minister Vijay Goel said, “They have been sitting on the matter for four years. They are now going to start work in most unauthorised colonies. What were they doing for four years?”

The AAP hit back and questioned the timing of the decision. “If the Delhi government could actually regularise unauthorised colonies, then why was a committee formed under the LG? And why now? What took them (Centre) five years, and why it has happened in the last cabinet meeting? For this, all BJP MPs in Delhi and the centre should apologise to the people of Delhi,” Gopal Rai, Delhi convenor of AAP, said.