In a fiery political showdown, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has leveled serious allegations against the Delhi government, claiming it orchestrated the demolition of homes belonging to impoverished residents in the Shalimar Bagh area. Party leaders took to the streets and social media, decrying what they called a heartless assault on the city’s most vulnerable.
The controversy erupted after bulldozers rolled into the locality, razing several makeshift structures where low-income families had made their lives. AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj slammed the action as ‘inhuman and anti-poor,’ pointing fingers at the BJP-led central government’s influence on local administration. ‘This is not development; it’s destruction of dreams,’ he thundered during a press briefing.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes as families scrambled to salvage belongings amid clouds of dust. Women and children wept openly, their pleas falling on deaf ears of the enforcement teams. Local AAP workers rushed to the site, providing water, food, and legal aid to the affected.
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has promised swift justice, vowing to rehabilitate every displaced family. ‘We will not let the poor be bulldozed for political gains,’ he posted online, urging supporters to join protests. The party has demanded a high-level probe and immediate compensation.
Meanwhile, government officials maintain the drive targeted illegal encroachments on public land, essential for urban infrastructure projects. They insist due notices were served, though residents dispute this, claiming no prior warnings. As tensions simmer, political analysts see this as the latest flashpoint in Delhi’s bitterly contested governance battles ahead of elections.
The incident underscores broader concerns over slum demolitions in the capital, where rapid urbanization clashes with housing shortages. AAP’s aggressive stance could rally its base, but it risks alienating moderates if evidence mounts of procedural lapses. For now, Shalimar Bagh remains a symbol of Delhi’s fractured urban narrative.
