New Delhi [India], June 22 : In a massive show of strength against the BJP government's relentless demolition drive, lakhs of jhuggi residents from across Delhi are set to converge at Jantar Mantar on June 29, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said on Sunday.
The AAP-backed protest is a direct response to the BJP's alleged "betrayal" of its promise to provide permanent housing under the 'Jahan Jhuggi Wahin Makaan' scheme, the party said in a statement.
Delhi AAP President Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "Arvind Kejriwal gave dignity to jhuggi dwellers by providing all essential services. But the BJP is now destroying their lives. During elections, the BJP had promised 'Jahaan Jhuggi Wahaan Makaan', a house where there is a slum, but has now forgotten that promise and is instead turning jhuggi clusters into open grounds, rendering the poor homeless."
During the programme, Bharadwaj met jhuggi residents and listened to their concerns. Former MLA Akhileshpati Tripathi, former Mayor Shelly Oberoi, and several party workers were present. Loudspeakers were used to appeal to people to unite in this movement to save their homes.
Residents shared the deep fear and anxiety they now live under due to bulldozer actions initiated by the BJP government. They said, "We are always afraid our homes will be demolished. We can't eat or sleep in peace. We can't focus on our work either. Life is filled with stress and uncertainty."
They further said, "Big BJP leaders, including PM Narendra Modi, had promised us homes during the elections. They even came and stayed in our jhuggis at night, saying - 'vote for BJP and we will build flats right here'. We fell for their false promises and voted them to power."
"Today, the same BJP is demolishing our homes, and no BJP leader has come back to even ask how we are. We made a huge mistake by not voting for Arvind Kejriwal. If Kejriwal's government were still in power, we would be sleeping peacefully, because he would never have let our jhuggis be destroyed," he added.
Bharadwaj called for united resistance against the BJP's oppressive tactics. "If we sit quietly thinking our jhuggi is safe for now, we're making a big mistake. Today, it's someone else's jhuggi, tomorrow it'll be ours. One by one, all jhuggis will be targeted. The BJP has decided to drive the poor out of Delhi. They are anti-poor."
He also exposed the BJP's plan to hand over land in Delhi's jhuggi clusters to their corporate allies, citing the example of Dharavi in Mumbai.
"CM Rekha Gupta says the government is studying Dharavi's slum redevelopment. Every jhuggi resident must understand that the BJP handed over Dharavi's land to one of their friends. Now, they want to do the same in Delhi. That is why they are offering another 'Jhuggi Redevelopment' lollipop like 'Jahaan Jhuggi Wahaan Makaan'. Arvind Kejriwal repeatedly warned during the elections that the BJP had sold off Dharavi's land, and if they came to power in Delhi, they would do the same here. His words are turning out to be true," Bharadwaj said.