Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Delhi Assembly, Atishi Marlena, on Saturday called out the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) of betraying the city’s poorest with false promises of rehabilitation.
She claimed that ahead of elections, BJP leaders distributed ‘Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makaan’ cards in Nangli Dairy — the next settlement facing demolition — without any real intention of providing housing to Delhi’s working-class residents.
Speaking at a press conference, Marlena said BJP leaders held symbolic stays in jhuggi clusters, shared meals with residents, and played games like ludo and carrom with children.
“Now, they threaten to raze these same homes with bulldozers if documents are not submitted within five days,” she said. She also pointed out that these actions contradict Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election-time assurance that not a single jhuggi in Delhi would be demolished.
“But the moment elections were over and BJP came to power, they began tearing down the homes of the poor, one after another. The very jhuggis where they made promises are now the first to face bulldozers,” she said.
She alleged that after demolitions in Madarasi Camp, Jailorwala Bagh, Wazirpur, and Bhoomiheen Camp, the BJP-led Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is now targeting Nangli Dairy.
“Just two days ago, MCD pasted demolition notices on homes in the cluster, which houses around 250–300 jhuggis. Residents have been labelled ‘encroachers’ and warned that unless they submit documents within five days, their homes will be demolished,” she added.