Delhi polls: AAP, BJP engage in war of words over slum outreach

New Delhi: A day after BJP leaders spent the night in Delhi's slums as part of an outreach programme ahead of the assembly elections, the AAP on Monday accused the saffron party of demolishing slums and deleting names of slumdwellers from electoral rolls.

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal in a statement asked slumdwellers not to vote for the BJP in the upcoming elections. "They (BJP) will sleep in your jhuggi now and then demolish it after three months,” the former Delhi chief minister alleged.

"It's ironical how BJP leaders are coming and sleeping in jhuggis after spending the last five years meticulously razing down the slums in Delhi," he claimed.

Earlier, in a press conference, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi warned the slumdwellers to be wary of BJP leaders, alleging that the slums they visit are demolished later.

Delhi BJP general secretary Vishnu Mittal, who is leading the campaign to sensitise slum dwellers, termed Atishi's press conference a sign of nervousness. 

In a video message posted on X, Mittal said, "“Aam Aadmi Party is rattled after BJP leaders’ overnight stay across slum areas of Delhi. The nervousness created by BJP’s campaign led to AAP CM Atishi hold a press conference. When we went earlier, she called it ‘jhuggi tourism’. I want to ask Atishi jee whether you will talk to slum dwellers only through press conferences or by visiting them.”

"The residents of the slums of Delhi are drinking bottled water. Drains and sewers are clogged. People are getting electricity bills. Your leaders visit the slums only during elections. The people of Delhi's slums have understood the reality of the AAP. They are not going to be misled by your press conference. They have trusted the AAP for ten years. The slum dwellers will now overthrow the AAP's corrupt government," Mittal added.

अतिशी जी, अगर हम झुग्गीवासियों की बातें सुन रहे हैं, तो #AAP को इतनी बेचैनी क्यों हो रही है? आपकी सरकार तो सिर्फ प्रेस कॉन्फ्रेंस में व्यस्त रहती है, झुग्गियों में जाना तो दूर, उनकी हालत तक नहीं देखती।

कोई तो उनकी आवाज सुनेगा, कोई तो उनके हक की लड़ाई लड़ेगा। #AAPFAIL… pic.twitter.com/cUT3hZxjIM

— Visshnu Mittal (@visshnumittal) December 16, 2024

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor claimed that the AAP raising "frivolous" issues everyday shows the party has already conceded defeat.

"The allegations against the BJP by AAP supremo Kejriwal and Chief Minister Atishi show that both leaders know that they have lost their vote bank of the slumdwellers," he asserted.

Led by its Delhi unit chief Virendra Sachdeva, BJP leaders stayed overnight in 1,194 slum clusters across the national capital to connect with the slumdwellers and address their concerns.

On Monday, CM Atishi said, "...I warn the slumdwellers to be wary of them (BJP leaders) because there are many examples that the slums they visit are demolished, like it happened in Sundar Nagri where they had gone a few months ago." She further said that the BJP leaders go to the slums and then get the names of slumdwellers "deleted" from voters' lists, citing the example of Shahdara's Ambedkar Basti.

The chief minister also alleged that the BJP hates the poor people, claiming that slums were covered on the route of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit of Pusa institute on Sunday.

Ahead of elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly, due in February, the BJP has launched a massive outreach campaign to get a foothold in the city's slums, considered to be strongholds of the ruling AAP.

"BJP leaders are directly communicating with the slumdwellers to better understand their lives. We have learned about their struggles and the upcoming BJP government will work through DUSIB (Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board) to improve their living conditions," Sachdeva said during his stay at Rajiv Camp in east Delhi's Krishna Market.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Kapoor said Atishi holds a constitutional post and very well knows that as per guidelines nearly 500 metres area around any place visited by the prime minister of the country is sanitised and barricaded.

Moreover, Atishi should remember that around 100 metres area around Delhi chief minister's residence too remains sanitised and barricaded, he said.