In fresh sparring between the BJP and the AAP amid the Delhi Assembly polls, the two parties accused each other of betraying Delhi’s slum dwellers as the issue of permanent housing for economically weaker sections emerged as the latest flashpoint.
BJP’s New Delhi candidate Parvesh Verma alleged that more than 8,000 homes were fully constructed in Delhi and awaiting allocation to those in need. “Yet, instead of handing over these homes to the poor, the Arvind Kejriwal government prioritised its own luxury… breaking and rebuilding bungalows for the Chief Minister, creating extravagant palaces for himself,” he alleged.
Verma claimed that in the past year alone, “hundreds of slums” were demolished, leaving entire families homeless. “Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi allotted 1,675 homes in Ashok Vihar, a testament to his commitment to empowering the underprivileged…While Kejriwal built a palace for himself, Delhi’s poor were left homeless. The people of Delhi’s slums demand accountability, justice, and their rightful homes,” he added.
In retaliation, the AAP accused the BJP of indulging in “jhuggi tourism” in Delhi during elections, yet having “rendered three lakh ‘jhuggi’ residents shelterless.” “In contrast, Arvind Kejriwal has tirelessly worked to ensure dignity for ‘jhuggi’ dwellers — laying sewer lines, providing water, and ensuring electricity in 1,800 unauthorised colonies,” the AAP stated.
“Their double standards are clear — promising support while betraying the most vulnerable… Will there be homes for the poor or land for their friends? These BJP leaders who once slept in ‘jhuggis’ and played carrom with children have betrayed them,” it added.
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