AAP woos slum dwellers, slams BJP for recent demolitions

NEW DELHI: In a bid to woo slum dwellers in the national capital, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal today said that if his party came to power, no slum would be demolished without an alternate arrangement made.

Slamming BJP over the recent demolitions of slums in the city, Kejriwal alleged that BJP MLAs first planned demolition of jhuggis and then showed sympathy towards the slum dwellers.

"While we were in power, no slum was razed. If AAP comes to power, no jhuggi will be demolished unless there is an alternate arrangement for the dwellers, either on the same place or areas around. I have myself stayed in jhuggi for three months and I am aware of the issues," Kejriwal said

Speaking at a function where the party claimed that almost all members of BJP's Jhuggi Jhopdi cell have joined AAP, Kejriwal promised to come up with a policy for JJ clusters under which pucca houses and other facilities would be provided.

Emphasising on the need for development of JJ clusters, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said, "I dont agree with the word jhuggi jhopdis since it is quite derogatory. Even these are colonies, irrespective of their legality.

"There are around 3-5 lakh slums in Delhi in which more than 10-15 people reside. Are you going to throw them out? These are not encroachers, but poor people doing odd jobs. There has been no planned development of these clusters. Dwellers not only need proper pucca houses, but also other facilities," Sisodia said.

Meanwhile, JJ cluster cell's president Umesh Kumar accused BJP of "cheating people" and alleged that the Delhi administration has been carrying out series demolition of slums since May.