Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi,Jan 12: AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal has thrown down a bold challenge to Union Home Minister Amit Shah ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections. The former Delhi Chief Minister declared he would withdraw from the electoral race if Shah agreed to rehabilitate all evicted slum dwellers and drop legal cases related to slum demolitions.

“Withdraw all cases against slum residents, and file an affidavit in court guaranteeing housing for every evicted family on the same land they were removed from. If you accept this, I will not contest the elections,” Kejriwal stated at a public gathering in Shakur Basti. “But if you don’t, I’m here to stay,” he added.

Accusing the BJP of planning large-scale slum demolitions if it wins the elections, Kejriwal criticized the central government’s “Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makaan” (Houses in Place of Slums) scheme, calling it a “sham.”

“They want your votes first and your homes later,” he alleged, claiming the BJP’s efforts to provide housing for slum dwellers had been negligible. He pointed out that the BJP-led central government had built only 4,700 flats for slum residents over the past five years, leaving nearly 4 lakh slum households in uncertainty. “At this rate, it will take 1,000 years to fulfill their promises,” he remarked.
Kejriwal also alleged that the Delhi Lt Governor had changed the land use of slum areas on December 27, paving the way for demolitions after the elections. Furthermore, he claimed the Railways had already issued tenders for slum-occupied land on September 30.

Responding to Kejriwal’s accusations, union minister and BJP leader Hardeep Singh Puri dismissed them as baseless and accused the AAP government of non-cooperation in addressing housing issues.

The debate over slum demolitions has emerged as a significant flashpoint in the Delhi election campaign, highlighting concerns about housing, urban planning, and the rights of vulnerable communities.