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'Absolutely criminal act': Tharoor on demolition drive in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri
“The Supreme Court had given an order that status quo must be maintained and demolition shouldn't proceed, but four hours after that order was issued, the demolitions did continue. This is illegal, arbitrary and unconstitutional since no notice was given to the victims,” Shashi Tharoor said.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday condemned the demolition drive in Delhi's violence-hit Jahangirpuri and said it is an absolutely "criminal act" for which serious action should be taken.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Tharoor said, “The Supreme Court had given an order that status quo must be maintained and demolition shouldn't proceed, but four hours after that order was issued, the demolitions did continue. This is illegal, arbitrary and unconstitutional since no notice was given to the victims.”
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In a veiled jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Tharoor said demolition is a new technique of intimidation that will burn India down, adding it is an assault on the values of the country's Constitution.
He added that a proper investigation should be done on the violent clashes in Jahangirpuri on April 16.
“Investigate properly, find out who's responsible, take them to court, give them notices. If the final punishment is decided to be demolition, which is a very inhumane public punishment, then let there at least be proper notices so people can make arrangements," Tharoor told the news agency.
Prior to Tharoor, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the razing of several structures in Jahangirpuri is the demolition of India's constitutional values.
Also Read| ‘A demolition of constitutional values': Rahul Gandhi on bulldozing of houses
"This is state-sponsored targeting of the poor and minorities. BJP must bulldoze the hatred in their hearts instead," Gandhi tweeted.
The demolition drive has also been condemned by other opposition parties in the country as well as the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi.
The AAP said on Wednesday that the BJP's headquarters should be demolished as well as the saffron party was behind recent incidents of communal violence in various parts of the country on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti and Ram Navami.
The AAP also said that the BJP got Rohingyas and Bangladeshis illegally settled in Delhi as well as other parts of the country, alleging that the party wants to use them to carry out riots.
The BJP, meanwhile, hit back at the opposition's allegations that Muslims were picked out during Wednesday's demolition drive and said that razing of structures was a legal exercise and had nothing to do with religion.
"As far as the BJP government is concerned, our only mantra is sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas. Every project and policy of the (Narendra) Modi government has been an inclusive exercise that has catered to every section of the society, without any kind of distinction along the lines of caste, creed and religion," BJP spokesperson Dr Sambit Patra was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
