'Will not contest Delhi elections if slum demolition cases are withdrawn,' Kejriwal challenges Shah

New Delhi: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal today announced that he will not contest the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections if Home Minister Amit Shah withdraws all cases related to slum demolitions in the city and ensures the rehabilitation of every person evicted from these areas.

"Withdraw all the cases you have filed against the people of slums, and submit an affidavit in court that you will give houses to all those people on the same land from which they were evicted. I will not contest the elections. I challenge you to accept it. Otherwise, Kejriwal will not go anywhere," Kejriwal said during an address today.

Kejriwal further alleged that the BJP's primary intention, if it wins the elections, is to demolish Delhi’s slums. In response to these allegations, Union Minister and BJP leader Hardeep Singh Puri rejected Kejriwal’s claims, accusing the AAP government of non-cooperation.

"They want your votes first and your land after the elections," Kejriwal asserted at Shakur Basti, criticizing the BJP’s 'Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makaan' scheme as nothing more than "complete eyewash."

Kejriwal claimed that only 4,700 flats for slum dwellers had been constructed by the BJP-led central government over the past five years, leaving the city's estimated 4 lakh slum households without adequate housing. "At this pace, it will take 1,000 years to provide housing for all," he argued.

The former Delhi Chief Minister also alleged that the Delhi Lt Governor had altered the land use of slum areas on December 27, potentially setting the stage for their demolition right after the elections. He added that the Railways had already tendered land occupied by slums on September 30.

Union Minister Puri, however, dismissed Kejriwal’s accusations as unfounded and countered with his own set of claims. He stated that the AAP government in Delhi had deliberately delayed the implementation of central government schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and other slum rehabilitation projects. "Since 2006, it has been the state government's duty to regulate unauthorised colonies, but the AAP government did not cooperate," Puri claimed.

Puri further accused Kejriwal of using misleading claims to divert attention from AAP’s governance failures. "In 2017, I sent a letter urging the Delhi government to implement slum rehabilitation projects. Instead, they insisted on conducting a survey first," he said. Additionally, Puri alleged that senior AAP leaders had shown interest in land acquisition, but had not supported housing projects for slum dwellers.

Puri also brought up a Central Vigilance report, which he said revealed that toilets were being counted as classrooms under AAP's education initiatives. "While AAP promised to build 20,000 classrooms, only 4,260 were constructed, with funds allegedly misused," Puri claimed. He also mentioned a shortage of 6,000 teachers, contradicting AAP’s promise of world-class education.

The AAP is working to secure a third consecutive term in Delhi, having won 62 of 70 seats in the 2020 elections. The party is focusing on consolidating its support among marginalized communities, including slum dwellers.

In his address today, Kejriwal reiterated his 2015 intervention that prevented slum demolitions. Accompanied by Satyendar Jain, AAP's candidate from Shakur Basti, Kejriwal appealed to voters to reject what he described as the BJP’s "traitorous" policies.