Arvind Kejriwal attacks BJP says, it does not intend to build houses for people living in slums

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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and claimed that the slums of Delhi will be "demolished" in the next five years, leaving people "homeless", ANI reported.

"We have seen how their leaders are going to slums and staying there. They didn't stay for five or ten years, but their leaders have been staying in the slums for the last month. They do not have affection for the slum dwellers. It is a party of rich people. What do they have to do with the slum dwellers?" Kejriwal told reporters here at a slum camp.

"They consider them as insects. They need the votes of slum dwellers ahead of the polling and the land of the slum dwellers after the polling. They love their land and have love for their votes," he alleged, ANI cited.

Responding to Home minister Amit Shah's speech on Saturday, Kejriwal said, "The way Amit Shah ji lied to the slum dwellers of Delhi and tried to mislead them, today we have come to this slum camp to expose that lie. He said, 'Jaha jhuggi, waha makaan,' but the BJP people are not telling whose 'makaan'... They mean 'Jaha jhuggi, waha inke dost ke makaan.'"

The former Delhi CM claimed that the BJP does not intend to build houses for the people living in slums, ANI reported.

"The BJP government came to power in 2014. In these 11 years, they built 4,700 houses in Delhi. There are 4 lakh jhuggis in Delhi. If 4,700 houses have been built in the last 10 years, then it will take 1,000 years to provide houses to every slum dweller in Delhi. They do not want to build houses; these people are lying. Within the next five years, the slums of Delhi will be demolished, and people will be rendered homeless. They will be brought onto the streets," Kejriwal alleged.

As per ANI, the BJP has accused the AAP-led government, claiming that it has failed to handle the city's growing pollution levels, inefficiency in implementing welfare schemes, and engaged in widespread corruption.

The BJP has even called AAP's governance as a threat to Delhi, coining the term "AAPda" to symbolise the party's alleged disruptive impact on the capital.

In response, the AAP has labelled the BJP as the "Galli Galoch Party," accusing them of "dishonest tactics" and "electoral fraud."

The Delhi assembly elections will be held in a single phase on February 5, with vote counting slated for February 8. The deadline for filing nominations is January 17, January 18 for nomination examination, and January 20 for candidature withdrawal.

The Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 consecutive years, suffered huge defeats in the last two assembly elections, failing to gain any seats. In contrast, the AAP dominated the 2020 assembly elections, winning 62 of 70 seats while the BJP won only eight, ANI reported.

(With ANI inputs)