In sharp escalation, Sisodia shoots letter to Amit Shah over BJP’s ‘cheap bulldozer politics’ | Cities News,The Indian Express

2022-05-14 20:33:04 By : Ms. Beryl Huang

Calling the anti-encroachment drive by the MCDs “cheap and unjustified bulldozer politics”, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia Friday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah asking him to immediately stop the drive in Delhi.

“It is my appeal to you to ask your leaders not to do such dangerous politics in the name of bulldozer and demolition drive. Ask BJP leaders and MCD mayors, councillors and officials why they gave permission in the first place to construct houses in these areas. They first made a lot of money and are now displacing people under the pretext of bulldozer politics. Instead of creating trouble in the lives of people by demolishing their houses, action should be taken against such leaders and officials and a demolition drive should be carried out in the houses of leaders who gave permission to establish houses and societies in these colonies,” he wrote.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also called a meeting of all AAP MLAs on Saturday to discuss the issue. Officials said that a strategy will be chalked out to counter the BJP’s politics over the anti-encroachment drives.

The demolition drives have taken a political hue ever since one was conducted in Jahangirpuri, days after communal violence erupted in the area. An outer gate of a mosque was among the structures taken down there, and the matter had reached the Supreme Court, which effectively stopped the MCD action by ordering status quo. While the BJP has sought to link such drives to “illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingya” living in the capital, the AAP alleges it is a bid by the civic bodies to extort money from people. Thursday was the first time residential buildings were demolished in Madanpur Khadar.

Addressing a press conference, Sisodia said, “Delhi has 1,750 unauthorised colonies where around 50 lakh people live, and around 10 lakh people live in 860 slum and JJ clusters. The Delhi BJP is planning to bulldoze all these houses and make people homeless. The leaders reach one colony every day with their bulldozers. This is cheap and unjustified politics.”

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia writes to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in connection with “the ongoing bulldozer drive led by BJP-ruled MCD, which might render around 60 lakh people homeless.” He appeals to HM Amit Shah to hold authorities accountable. pic.twitter.com/qVJnCWa6zH

He added that the AAP and every one of its leaders and party members will take to the roads to oppose this, and even go to jail to stop the demolition drive: “We will put our lives on the line, we will go to jail but we won’t let BJP’s terror prevail.”

Sisodia also said notices have been issued to around 3 lakh residents living on authorised DDA land because they made minor modifications and extended their balcony or constructed a small structure on their terrace. “There is not a single house and bungalow where such small alterations have not been done,” he said.

“This will result in India’s worst calamity with more than 60 lakh people being homeless as a result of the BJP’s bulldozer tactics in Delhi. There will be widespread outrage and there will be no greater damage in India’s history,” he said.

Hitting back at Sisodia, Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said the AAP leader was concerned over the demolition drive as bulldozers were being used to remove encroachments by Rohingya and Bangladeshis “given shelter” by his party.

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