New Delhi: Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva on Sunday claimed that AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal did not take any initiative in the past 10 years to improve the standard of living of people residing in slum clusters in Delhi.
He said if BJP formed its govt in Delhi, it would ensure that every homeless person in Delhi received a house under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. “You (AAP) have been in office for over a decade. Please clarify if your govt, through DUSIB or any other department, has undertaken any significant effort to rehabilitate slum dwellers,” he said.
Sachdeva also gave some guarantees on behalf of BJP to Delhi’s poor. “Slum dwellers who wish to stay in their current areas will be allowed to remain there,” he said. ‘Jahan Jhuggi Wahin Makaan’ scheme would continue to benefit slum residents, he added. Sachdeva promised that DUSIB and DDA would provide alternative houses or flats to slum dwellers.
He was speaking to the press while celebrating his birthday with residents of Nehru Camp in Patparganj constituency during BJP’s slum outreach campaign. He said, “If the BJP comes to power, we will make this Nehru Camp a model slum with regards to sanitation by Jan 2026.”
At a press conference held in Nehru Camp later, Sachdeva alleged that, in 10 years, Kejriwal allowed 50,000 flats, built under Rajiv Awas Yojana, in areas like Narela to turn into ruins, without allotting even one flat to any slum dweller. He said that, despite being in office for over 10 years, Kejriwal had done nothing to transform slum clusters into model settlements or improve the living standards of the residents. “The last 10 years bear witness to the fact that Arvind Kejriwal can only provoke people, but cannot improve their lives,” Sachdeva added.
“Kejriwal claims to provide free electricity to the poor, but some residents of Nehru Camp in former deputy CM Manish Sisodia’s constituency, Patparganj, are receiving monthly electricity bills ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 8,000. Additionally, they are forced to purchase drinking water,” he claimed.
“It is unfortunate that, despite Kejriwal’s various claims, the income of Delhi’s poor slum-dwelling families is consumed entirely by electricity bills and water costs,” he claimed. He said every poor person knew that PM Modi had provided not just lakhs but crores of houses across villages and cities in the country, which was why every slum dweller today looked towards BJP.
BJP is leveraging its in situ rehabilitation programmes to challenge AAP’s stronghold. Recently, Modi inaugurated 1,675 newly built flats at Swabhiman Apartments in Ashok Vihar for JJ cluster residents and distributed keys to eligible recipients. He also announced plans for 3,000 more residential units.
There are around 700 slums in Delhi, home to a significant portion of the city’s population. These settlements often lack basic amenities like sanitation, with open drains exposing residents to poor living conditions. People from poor economic backgrounds work in sectors like construction, domestic work and street vending.
