AAP, BJP betrayed people living in slums, says Delhi Cong chief

Devender Yadav, president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, has criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for treating slum dwellers as mere vote banks. He alleged that neither party has made genuine efforts to address the needs of slum residents or improve their living conditions.

Speaking at the Delhi Nyay Yatra, which has now covered over 400 km in 19 days, Yadav emphasised the plight of Delhi’s slum residents, who continue to live in deplorable conditions without basic amenities like clean water, sanitation, or proper roads.

“Both AAP and BJP have betrayed the people living in slums,” Yadav said, pointing to the failure of both parties to deliver on their promises. “They treat these people as vote banks during elections and then forget them once they come to power,” he said.

Yadav’s remarks followed his visit to several JJ (jhuggi-jhopri) clusters during the yatra, where he observed the “inhumane conditions” faced by these communities. He highlighted issues such as piles of garbage and the absence of essential services, which have led to severe health problems among residents.

The Delhi Nyay Yatra, which began from Hanuman Temple in Vasant Gaon, RK Puram Assembly, aims to restore hope among the residents of Delhi, especially those living in marginalised areas. Yadav noted that the public’s response to the yatra has been overwhelmingly supportive, with many people expressing their frustration over the current government’s failures and their hopes for Congress to regain power in 2025.

“We are receiving immense support from the people as they are fed up with the false promises of Kejriwal and his associates. The yatra is not only giving hope to the people of a better tomorrow but is also exposing the corruption that has been hidden under false claims of honesty,” Yadav said.

Yadav criticised the lack of accountability in the management of slum rehabilitation projects. “The flats constructed by the Congress for slum dwellers have not yet been allotted. The BJP has stalled these efforts by suggesting they be rented out, while Kejriwal has allowed these flats to rot,” he said. Yadav also accused both Kejriwal and BJP of using the issue of slum demolitions as a political tool, with no genuine efforts to improve the lives of the people living in these areas.

Prominent leaders who joined the yatra on Tuesday included former MP Parvez Hashmi, AICC secretary in-charge of Delhi Sukhwinder Singh Dani, and DPMC chairman Pushpa Singh, among others.