Arvind Kejriwal Says Will Not Contest Delhi Assembly Elections If Amit Shah...

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday annoucned that he will not participate in Delhi's upcoming Assembly elections if Home Minister Amit Shah retracts all cases concerning slum demolitions and ensures the rehabilitation of displaced individuals. "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," he stated.

Mr Kejriwal accused the BJP of planning to demolish slums if they win the elections. He criticised their 'Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makaan' initiative as deceptive. "They want your votes first and your land after the elections," he remarked at Shakur Basti. The former Delhi chief minister claimed only 4,700 flats for slum dwellers were built by the BJP-led central government over five years, leaving 4 lakh households without homes.

Allegations and Counterclaims

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri dismissed Mr Kejriwal's allegations as unfounded, accusing AAP of hindering central schemes like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). "Since 2006, it has been the state government's duty to regulate unauthorised colonies, but the AAP government did not cooperate," Mr Puri said. He argued that AAP's claims were misleading tactics to distract from their governance shortcomings.

Mr Puri further alleged that senior AAP leaders were interested in land acquisition without supporting housing projects for slum residents. He mentioned a letter sent in 2017 urging Delhi's government to implement slum rehabilitation projects, which was met with demands for a survey instead.

Education Initiatives Under Scrutiny

A Central Vigilance report indicated that toilets were counted as classrooms under AAP's education initiatives, according to Mr Puri. He claimed that while AAP promised 20,000 classrooms, only 4,260 were built, with funds allegedly misappropriated. Additionally, he highlighted a shortage of 6,000 teachers despite promises of world-class education.

The former Delhi Chief Minister alleged that on December 27th, the Lt Governor altered land use in slum areas to facilitate demolitions post-elections. He also claimed that on September 30th, Railways had already tendered land occupied by slums.

AAP's Electoral Strategy

Aiming for a third consecutive term in Delhi, AAP seeks to strengthen its support among marginalised communities like slum dwellers. In 2020, they secured 62 out of 70 seats. During his address at Shakur Basti with Satyendar Jain, Mr Kejriwal urged voters to reject BJP's alleged "traitorous" policies.