BJP will relocate slum dwellers to Delhi govt's flats, says party leader Ramvir Singh Bidhuri

Senior Delhi BJP leader Ramvir Singh Bidhuri on Thursday said his party will relocate slum dwellers, who will be evicted from dwellings along railway tracks, to 52,000 vacant flats of the city government by "breaking" their locks.

Bidhuri, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, said the Centre has also provided funds for these houses and alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has delayed the rehabilitation of slum dwellers for years.

In a recent order, the Supreme Court directed the removal of 48,000 slum dwellings along the 140 km length of railway tracks in Delhi within three months.

It said the slum dwellings will be removed in a phased manner and restrained any court from granting any kind of stay with respect to removal of encroachments in the area.

"The BJP will rehabilitate 48,000 slum dwellers settled on railway land by breaking the locks of 52,000 flats of the (Delhi) government. The Centre has also provided funds for these houses constructed for slum dwellers," Bidhuri said.

He said the AAP is doing drama over the issue.

"AAP and its leader Raghav Chadha are doing drama. We will rehabilitate slum dwellers in these 52,000 flats whose allocation has been kept pending by the Kejriwal government for many years," he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party stands with slum dwellers and will not allow any injustice to happen to them, Bidhuri said.

Earlier in the day, AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha alleged the Centre is issuing notices across the national capital and threatening slum dwellers that their houses will be demolished within this month.

He said the AAP will not allow any slum demolition in Delhi and if needed it will move to the Supreme Court and fight the battle on the streets.

The Delhi BJP, however, rubbished the allegations, saying nothing can be more false and condemnable than the AAP's diatribe on demolition of slum dwellings around railway tracks as ordered by the Supreme Court.