‘The government ruling Delhi today had promised to provide houses where jhuggis stand. But it is doing the exact opposite — destroying the homes of the poor’
NEW DELHI — Tempers flared in the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday as Leader of Opposition (LoP) Atishi took the BJP head-on over the ongoing demolition of jhuggis across the capital. The moment she raised the issue, BJP MLAs erupted in protest — visibly unsettled by her charge that the government has brazenly reneged on its “Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makaan” promise.
Naming areas like Madrasi Camp, Jailerwala Bagh and Bhoomiheen Camp, Atishi exposed how homes have been razed without rehabilitation. “They voted for Arvind Kejriwal all these years, but this time they were misled by BJP’s false promises,” she declared, quoting displaced residents who now find themselves abandoned by a government that broke its word.
“In different parts of Delhi, jhuggis of the poor are being demolished and bulldozers are being run over them,” she said.
She highlighted several recent instances. “In Jangpura constituency, bulldozers were sent to Madrasi Camp. In Wazirpur, bulldozers were sent to demolish the jhuggis in Jailerwala Bagh. Another demolition was carried out near the Railway Line Industrial Area,” said Atishi.
Focusing on the injustice faced by residents of the Bhoomiheen Camp in Kalkaji, Atishi said, “Three thousand flats were built to resettle people from the Bhoomiheen Camp in Kalkaji. But only 1,800 families were allotted flats and 1,200 families were arbitrarily declared ineligible. These people went to court, and the matter was listed for hearing at 12 noon. But before the court could even hear the case, bulldozers arrived at 6 am and flattened their homes.”
Atishi reminded the public of the BJP’s pre-election promise and the prime minister’s own words. “This is the same BJP that had promised ‘Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makaan’ before elections. PM Narendra Modi had said not a single jhuggi would be demolished. When the Madrasi Camp was razed, I personally visited the site. The residents showed me cards bearing Modi’s photograph and the slogan ‘Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makaan’.”
“Those people told me they had always voted for Arvind Kejriwal, but this time they were misled by BJP’s false promises. They kept calling their BJP MLA during the demolition, but he never answered their calls,” she noted.
Atishi concluded by directly pointing to the ruling BJP government’s betrayal. “The government ruling Delhi today had promised to provide houses where jhuggis stand. But it is doing the exact opposite—destroying the homes of the poor. In CM Rekha Gupta’s own constituency, the Railways have issued demolition notices to jhuggis.”
