AAP announces 'Ghar Bachao, BJP Hatao' Campaign after central govt eviction drive in Delhi

New Delhi: Tension is brewing in the capital as the central government's move to evict residents from slum clusters in Delhi faces opposition from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.

In a show of solidarity with the affected residents and to counter the Centre's move, the AAP has announced a week-long 'Ghar Bachao, BJP Hatao' (Save Our Homes, remove BJP) campaign starting on January 14.

The campaign will involve street meetings across the city to mobilise public support and highlight the BJP's alleged "anti-poor" policies. A culminating demonstration is planned at the BJP headquarters on January 21.

On Saturday, AAP leader Gopal Rai, in a scathing attack on the Centre, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using evictions as a weapon to target and silence its political opponents.

"Once again, the central government is bent on making people homeless in Delhi. The Centre government has ordered all its agencies to make people living in clusters homeless, most recently in Mehrauli, Sarojini Nagar area, Dhaula Kuan. This happened in Sarojini Nagar; Kejriwal ji went to court and got it stopped, and now it has come to light that notices have been pasted at two places in the New Delhi area, the survey is being done there, promises are made before the elections and then people are informed after the elections," said AAP leader Gopal Rai. 

Delhi Minister Gopal Rai's remarks came in the wake of reports that eviction notices have been pasted in two New Delhi areas, following similar actions in Mehrauli, Sarojini Nagar, and Dhaula Kuan recently, despite a stay order on evictions in Sarojini Nagar through a court intervention.

Rai further questioned the timing of the eviction notices, just a day after the AAP announced Kejriwal's visit to Goa as part of the party's Lok Sabha preparations.

Gopal Rai also alleged that the BJP is using the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as a political tool to harass opposition leaders, claiming that news of the notice reached the media before it even reached the Chief Minister's residence.

"It is clear that BJP wants to stop the opposition leaders, BJP has made ED a weapon, notice did not reach the Chief Minister's residence but before that this news was received through media, ED is working like an organization of BJP." said Gopal Rai. 

Earlier, Delhi minister Atishi Marlena accused the Union Government of using a 'systematic' system to completely get rid of slums in Delhi.

The Aam Aadmi party in an address to media, alleged that the BJP conducted a meeting with the land-owning agencies and clearly instructed them to completely eradicate slums in the national capital.

"Two days back, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's advisor Tarun kapoor held a meeting with all the land-owning agencies in which DDA, L&D, railways, MCD officials were called and clearly instructed to get rid of all the slums in Delhi," she said.

"We have been witnessing this since a few months now that wherever there's land of Central Government, all slums are being removed from those areas. In November, during GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan), Sunder nursery slums of Mathura were destroyed on the instructions of the Central Government" she added.

Atishi also took a jibe at the BJP for covering the slum areas with green sheets, during the G20 and US President Joe Biden's visit to India.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not want slum areas in Delhi. The slums were covered with green sheets during G20 because PM Modi does not want slums and he is planning to get rid of them completely", AAP minister Atishi said at a press conference on Friday.

Backing AAP leader Atishi's statement, Delhi minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said "Jhuggi-jhopri clusters are the reality of the society. If any slum is demolished, it is responsibility of the government to rehabitate the people living inside."

"In April 2020, the Supreme Court asked the Central Government to rehabitate the people of jhuggi jhopri of Sarojini Nagar which have been demolished. Similarly, despite the orders of the Deputy Chief Minister, slums of Dhaula Kuan were also demolished, " AAP minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said during the press conference.

Earlier, in January 2023, a month after the MCD elections, AAP workers protested against the Centre over demolition of slums. "The BJP promised homes instead of slums before the elections but after the elections, they gave the orders to demolish the slums. They are bulldozing slums," said AAP MLA Atishi who was at the site of the protest.