Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party would demolish all slums in Delhi if voted to power in the upcoming assembly elections.
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal today said that he will not contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Delhi if Home Minister Amit Shah withdraws all cases related to Delhi slum demolitions and rehabilitates every evicted person.
"Withdraw all the cases you have filed against the people of slums, and submit an affidavit in court that you will give houses to all those people on the same land from which they were evicted. I will not contest the elections. I challenge you to accept it. Otherwise, Kejriwal will not go anywhere," the former Delhi chief minister said today.
Addressing a press conference in the Shakur Basti area here, the former chief minister accused the BJP of prioritising land acquisition over the welfare of slum dwellers.
"They want your votes first and your land after the elections," Kejriwal said, referring to the BJP.
There was no immediate response from the BJP.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief further challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to withdraw all cases against people living in 'jhuggis' and resettle those displaced within 24 hours, vowing not to contest the elections if the BJP complies.
"I will not contest the elections if Amit Shah withdraws all the cases against the slum dwellers or displaced people. If the BJP fails, I will contest and stand as a shield for the slum dwellers. Let's see who destroys them," Kejriwal claimed.
He also criticised the BJP’s 'Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makaan' scheme, calling it an eyewash.
"In the past 10 years, they have constructed only 4,700 flats for slum dwellers. Delhi has 4 lakh 'jhuggis.' At this rate, it will take them 1,000 years to provide homes for all slum dwellers in the city," he said.
Kejriwal also alleged that the BJP has plans to take over the land currently occupied by slum dwellers without addressing their housing needs.
"They will demolish all the slums and acquire the land without any concern for the people living there," he added.
Echoing similar sentiments, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said on X, "Arvind Kejriwal has exposed every lie and conspiracy told by Amit Shah to the people living in 'jhuggis.' The BJP has rendered 3 lakh people living in 'jhuggis' homeless in the last 10 years. Now, it is plotting to demolish every 'jhuggi' in Delhi. People living in 'jhuggis' of Delhi, remember, this is a bulldozer party. If you vote for the BJP, all these 'jhuggis' will be demolished within a year." Kejriwal was accompanied by senior AAP leader Satyendar Jain, the party's candidate from the Shakur Basti constituency. Jain is seeking re-election from the seat for the fourth time, after winning it in 2013, 2015 and 2020.
Delhi will go to the polls on February 5 and the results will be announced on February 8.
The AAP, which won 62 of the 70 seats in Delhi in the 2020 elections, is aiming for a third consecutive full term.
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