Delhi BJP chief terms AAP’s rally for slum dwellers a ‘flop show’

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the AAP, calling its recent rally for slum dwellers an “utter flop”. He accused former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of being a “double-faced leader”, who failed to deliver on its promises made to the poor.

Sachdeva claimed that the rally failed to gather support from slum dwellers. He alleged that the AAP leadership had spent nearly a month spreading “confusion”, but slum dwellers had now rejected the party’s narrative and were demanding answers for the past 10 years of governance.

“The AAP’s rally in the name of slum dwellers completely failed. Anarchic and unconstitutional faces of AAP leaders once again got exposed,” Sachdeva said.

The BJP leader further accused Kejriwal of abandoning the city’s poor during the Covid-induced lockdown. “Kejriwal is a double-faced leader who is shedding crocodile tears in the name of slum dwellers today. Instead of giving protection to slum dwellers during the Covid period, he forced them to return to their villages,” Sachdeva said.

Sachdeva claimed that AAP leaders, including Gopal Rai, incited workers to attack the Prime Minister’s residence. He warned that such politics had no place in civil society.

“Their call to attack the Prime Minister’s residence has once again revealed the dark and Naxalite-like faces of Kejriwal and Gopal Rai. They should understand that there is no place for their words in civil society,” he said.

The Delhi BJP said while Kejriwal built a “Sheesh Mahal” for himself during his tenure, the AAP failed to provide proper housing to the poor in areas like Narela and Bawana.

Reiterating the BJP’s commitment to slum rehabilitation, Sachdeva said the Modi government would continue to resettle slum dwellers through the ‘Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makan’ campaign. He cited the relocation of families from Kalka Ji, Jailorwala Bagh, Kalandar Colony and Kathputli Colony as examples of the Centre’s commitment to providing “new homes and new lives” to Delhi’s urban poor.

The BJP said it remains focused on ensuring better living conditions for families who have long lived along drains and railway tracks.