AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that it had only been five months since the BJP government was formed, and yet they had already begun demolitions across the city.
Speaking at a protest organised by the party at Jantar Mantar against slum demolitions, the AAP chief said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said ‘Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makan’, but what he really meant was ‘Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Maidan.’”
Kejriwal accused the Chief Minister Rekha Gupta-led government of allegedly ruining the city within just five months, adding that people whose homes were being demolished had no option left but to protest.
The AAP leader mentioned that he had earlier warned that the saffron party was not here to support slum dwellers, but to dismantle their homes.
“Forty lakh people live in Delhi’s jhuggis. The day all 40 lakh of you come out onto the streets together, those in power will be shaken to the core,” Kejriwal said.
He appealed to slum dwellers, stating that their strength lies in unity, and urged them to stand together.
He warned that the demolitions must stop immediately, or the movement would intensify and grow so large that it would shake up the government.
“During our 10-year government, we didn’t allow a single jhuggi to be demolished. Both the Congress and the BJP are against the downtrodden — both parties work for the rich,” Kejriwal alleged.