'Bulldozers instead of houses': AAP, Cong criticise BJP after eviction in Delhi's Madrasi Camp

New Delhi, Jun 2 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress on Monday sharply criticised the Delhi BJP government, claiming "nearly 800 slum homes were demolished in Madrasi Camp, just a day after Chief Minister Rekha Gupta publicly assured that no slums would be touched".

There was no immediate response available from the Delhi government or the BJP over the allegations.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, AAP's Delhi state president Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the BJP of "betraying the poor". He said while the BJP leaders promised permanent housing during elections, they are now using bulldozers to displace the same people they courted for votes.

"Madrasi Camp has existed for 60 years. Before (the Delhi assembly) elections, the BJP leaders played carrom (board) with children and dined in the slums. Today, they have demolished those very homes," Bharadwaj said.

Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav also condemned the demolition drive, calling it "shocking and saddening", a statement said.

Yadav alleged that the Rekha Gupta government adopted a pick-and-choose policy. While allotting alternate housing, it left 155 families without shelter despite extreme weather conditions, he said, calling it petty politics with the lives of the poor.

The Congress leader further alleged that the BJP's handling of the eviction stands in stark contrast to its manifesto promises, which pledged to uplift JJ cluster residents through schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

He claimed that the eviction was carried out inhumanly, disrupting children's education and livelihoods, even as those allotted flats in distant Narela still lacked basic services like electricity, water and transportation, the statement added.

According to a government notice, of the approximately 370 families that lived in the settlement, 189 were found eligible for relocation to flats in Narela. Eviction notices were served last month and many families were left without shelter after the demolition on June 1.

The May 30 government notice informed the residents that transport trucks would be available on May 31 and June 1 to assist in shifting. Bulldozers arrived early June 1, backed by police.

The Tamil Nadu government acknowledged that the demolition followed court orders and it offered support to any displaced residents from the state wishing to return home.

Bharadwaj also claimed that similar demolitions are ongoing in Wazirpur and criticised the media for remaining silent. "This is not just policy failure, it's betrayal," he said.

The incident highlights growing tensions over slum rehabilitation and political accountability in Delhi, he said. PTI MHS KSS KSS