Cong stages protest over JJ cluster demolitions outside Delhi Assembly

Mounting a sharp political offensive on the opening day of the Delhi Assembly’s Monsoon Session, the Congress Party, under the leadership of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Devender Yadav, staged a large scale protest outside the Secretariat on Monday. The demonstration was held in response to the recent demolition of over 3,000 JJ Cluster homes, which the party alleges left nearly 15,000 families homeless without prior notice or alternate housing.

Amid heightened security, Congress workers clashed with police personnel, braving barricades and water cannons as they raised slogans against what they called an “inhuman eviction drive” by the BJP-led government. The gherao of the Assembly sent a clear message from the Opposition — forced displacement of the poor will not go unchallenged.

Speaking to mediapersons before being detained by the police and taken to the Subzi Mandi Police Station, Yadav held both the BJP and AAP governments responsible for neglecting Delhi’s urban poor. He accused the Rekha Gupta-led administration of continuing an eviction policy that prioritises land clearance over human dignity.

“These families have lived here for over 40 years and contributed to building this city. Instead of acknowledging their right to shelter, they are being thrown out without even basic notice,” Yadav said.

He also credited Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for drawing national attention to the issue. Gandhi’s visit to the demolished sites and his speech in Parliament, Yadav claimed, forced the Delhi Government to temporarily pause further demolitions until alternate housing is arranged.

Highlighting the Congress party’s stand on urban housing, Yadav renewed the demand for in-situ rehabilitation of JJ clusters. He cited the party’s previous efforts to build resettlement flats in places like Bhoomiheen Camp (Kalkaji), Jailorwala Bagh (Ashok Vihar) and Katputli Colony, asserting that such projects respected both the legal and emotional ties residents have to their communities.

The protest drew participation from a wide spectrum of Congress leadership, including AICC Delhi in-charge Qazi Nizamuddin, former MPs Ramesh Kumar, Krishna Tirath, Udit Raj and Sandeep Dikshit, as well as ex-ministers Haroon Yusuf, Narender Nath, Mangat Ram Singhal and Kiren Walia. Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba, municipal councillors, former MLAs, DPCC officials and district presidents were also present in large numbers.

Yadav also came down heavily on the AAP for failing to distribute thousands of constructed flats, halting pensions and ration support for slum dwellers, and failing to act after a court directive to clear encroachments along railway lines. He praised Congress leader Ajay Maken for securing a legal stay on the evictions, which temporarily protected many families from being uprooted.

“The Congress will go cluster to cluster and ensure that no one is evicted without resettlement. This is not just a fight for shelter — it’s a fight for justice,” Yadav declared.