New Delhi, Oct 15 (IANS): Former Aam Aadmi Party leader Shazia Ilmi Wednesday took part in a BJP cleanliness drive here as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Organised by the party's Delhi unit in Central Park in Connaught Place, the central Delhi commercial hub, Ilmi along with BJP president Satish Upadhyay cleaned the park and were joined by a large number of rag pickers as well as members of NGO Chintan, that works for their welfare.

"The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is not a campaign of a particular party rather a national and religious programme because cleanliness is vital for every religion and society," she said.

Meanwhile, Upadhyay praised the capital's rag pickers and commended their effort to keep the city clean.

"Besides the sanitation staff, the rag pickers of Delhi play important role in maintaining cleanliness in Delhi," he said while assuring them that he would apprise the central government of the problems faced by the community.

"We will present the social and other problems of the rag pickers before the central government and try to introduce social security scheme for them," Upadhyay said.

"We will also start work for providing free medical insurance for them under the social security policy of the government," he said.