The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday accused the BJP-ruled government at the Centre of hatching a conspiracy to demolish all slum colonies in Delhi in a systematic way.

The party also assured the slum-dwellers of fighting the Centre’s “policy” tooth and nail.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, senior AAP leader and Delhi minister Atishi said, “Before the elections, the BJP promises houses to people in slums near the slum clusters, but after the elections, they show their true colours that they do not like slum dwellers. Consequently, they either demolish the slums, relocate them to footpaths, or send them to places 50 kilometres away where there are no jobs for them, no schools for their children, and no means of transportation. The BJP-led central government is conspiring to completely remove slums from Delhi under a conspiracy in a systematic way.”

“On November 9, there was a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office under the chairmanship of his advisor Tarun Kapoor. This meeting was attended by officials from all land-owning agencies in Delhi, such as the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi), Railways, DDA, etc. They were sternly instructed to completely remove jhuggis from Delhi, ensuring that no slums remained on any land,” she claimed.

Atishi further said, “For the past several months, we have been observing the systematic demolition of slums in Delhi one by one. In November, the agencies of the central government, during a crackdown, issued a special order during GRAP (graded response action plan to mitigate air pollution) and demolished the slums behind the DPS Mathura Road at Sunder Nagar against the rules.”

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister , she said, “The conspiracy to demolish the slums is being carried out because Prime Minister Modi does not want slums in Delhi. When his friends and foreign leaders visit, PM Modi feels ashamed that there are slums in Delhi. That’s why, during the G-20 Summit, many slums in Delhi were covered with green fabric from the outside. Several slums were hidden from the eyes of visiting foreign leaders by covering them with green fabric.”

Assuring full support of the party to those residing in the slums in Delhi, Atishi said, “But as long as, Arvind Kejriwal’s government is in power in Delhi, the AAP will continue to fight for the rights of every slum dweller in Delhi. Whether we have to move court, take to the streets, or go to Parliament, we will not allow a single slum to be demolished in Delhi. We will put in all our efforts to ensure that the BJP-led central government does not make these slum-dwellers to be on the streets in the biting cold, by demolishing their homes.”

Echoing similar sentiments, senior AAP leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “Flouting rules with impunity, the Central government is demolishing jhuggi jhopri (JJ) colonies under a conspiracy.”