Betraying the poor: AAP slams bulldozer action at Delhi’s Madrasi camp
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New Delhi: Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, including Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and MLA Sanjeev Jha, visited Madrasi Camp in Jangpura after a demolition drive left hundreds homeless.
They met the displaced families, pledging to fight for slum dwellers' rights at every level, from streets to Parliament. Condemning the bulldozer action, they called it a betrayal of promises made by the ruling BJP.
Addressing residents and the media, Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the local BJP MLA of misleading the people.
"The local BJP MLA had distributed cards to residents saying, 'Where there is a jhuggi, there will be a home.' But today, they neither got homes nor their jhuggis. Their houses were demolished. This is a betrayal," Bharadwaj said. "We will not let their voices be silenced. We will raise this issue from the streets to the Parliament."
He further added, “Ever since the BJP came to power in Delhi, bulldozer action has become a daily event, today in Wazirpur, tomorrow here in Jangpura. This Madrasi Camp is 40–70 years old. Some of the women here say they were born in these jhuggis. People have lived here since their grandfathers' time.”
Bharadwaj also showed the housing cards distributed before the elections and accused BJP leaders of disappearing after gaining votes.
"Look at this Rs 21,000 card. They promised every jhuggi would get a house. Now not a single BJP leader, MLA, MP, or CM is here to face the people," he said. "But we are here, and we will fight for them."
Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh also came down heavily on the Modi government, saying, “Modi ji is focused on snatching away homes from the poor. At the time of elections, he gives false assurances, and once the votes are secured, bulldozers are sent to destroy their lives.”
Calling the demolition inhumane, Singh said the BJP had “backstabbed the poor” and was trying to erase entire communities without providing them alternative shelter.
The AAP leaders pledged ongoing support for the affected families and said they would take the fight for justice to every political and legal forum available.
(inputs from IANS)