Aam Aadmi Party’s national chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar on Saturday rejected recent claims made by the Delhi BJP that the trees near Chhatarpur were cut on the orders of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The senior AAP leader while addressing a press conference here alleged that the saffron party is making false allegations that Kejriwal ordered the felling of trees.
The AAP leader’s response came a day after the BJP alleged that the felling of trees in Delhi’s Chhatarpur was approved by the CM, who also made a binding remark that the Lieutenant Governor is bound by the advice of the CM and the Cabinet in this matter.
“The BJP JP is showing some documents that these trees were cut on the orders of Arvind Kejriwal. Let us tell you that only the Supreme Court can give the order to cut the trees in the Ridge area. So BJP should stop doing this drama,” said the AAP chief national spokesperson.
She further alleged that L-G approved the felling of 1100 trees in the Eco Sensitive Zone without the permission of the Supreme Court.
“Today the Supreme Court and the Delhi government are demanding an answer from the L-G. But no answer is coming,” Kakkar added.
Kakkar further said that, in this matter, where the apex court is severely reprimanding, even then the BJP is not desisting from its activities, she alleged.
She added that only the Supreme Court can give the order to cut the trees in the concerned Ridge area, and added that the saffron party must not make such claimes.
Kakkar has said that there are several ridge areas in Delhi, where permission of the Supreme Court is required to cut even a single tree, however, in Chhattarpur’s ridge, L-G got 1100 trees cut illegally without any court order, she claimed.
Meanwhile, talking of the environment and the green cover in the city, she claimed that it has increased under the leadership of Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai, while Kejriwal had instructed the minister for the same.
She added that more than 2 crore trees have been planted during the last four years, and this year 64 lakh more trees will be planted, the chief spokesperson of AAP added.
She has hit out at the BJP over issues concerning environment, alleging that the saffron party removed independent people from all environmental boards.
“The chairman of the NGT could only be a retired judge of the Supreme Court or the Chief Justice of the High Court, but the BJP changed the rules and formed a committee for appointing the chairman, in which all the members were from the saffron party, she alleged.
Sharpening her attack on the BJP, she said that the environment is being harmed because of the saffron party’s policies.