New Delhi, (Samajweekly) After the BJP targeted the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government in Delhi over homeless people dying in the national capital allegedly due to cold in the winter season, Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said on Friday that BJP MLAs are misleading people in the Assembly by spreading lies over alleged government inaction.
He said the lies spread by the BJP MLAs can lead to a case of contempt and breach of privileges of the Assembly.
Bharadwaj said that all Delhi residents are well aware that there wasn’t extreme cold in November to cause someone’s death.
“It’s clear from the Delhi Police’s Zipnet website that not only in winters, but throughout the year, Delhi Police reports approximately 300-350 deaths per month in the national capital due to various reasons, such as murder, road accidents and other crimes,” Bharadwaj said.
He said that according to the Zipnet website, in June 2023, 270 unidentified bodies were recovered, 370 in July, 382 in August, 313 in September, 316 in October, 319 in November, and from December 1 to December 15, 108 dead bodies have been recovered.
“This clarifies that in Delhi, throughout the year, approximately 300-350 bodies are recovered every month with different causes of death,” he said.
The minister said that BJP MLAs in the Delhi Assembly committed a shameful act to defame the Arvind Kejriwal government by displaying a frivolous list taken from the Delhi Police website.
Bharadwaj clarified that the list is related to deaths from the previous month, containing information and pictures of all those who recently died in Delhi due to varied reasons.
He explained that this is a regular procedure conducted by the Delhi Police — preparing a list with pictures of the deceased individuals on a monthly basis — which they upload on their website.
Bharadwaj said that spreading lies against the Delhi government is a disgraceful act which is driven solely by dirty politics.
“From the images shown by the BJP MLAs in the Assembly, it is evident that the deceased individuals had suffered serious injuries, indicating that these individuals died either in a road accident or were victims of crime. BJP’s motive behind this act is only to mislead the people of Delhi and defame the Kejriwal government,” he said.
The AAP leader also said that the dates mentioned in these deaths indicate that they occurred in the month of November.
Bharadwaj also questioned the BJP government at the Centre, saying that in the last one year, the Central government’s Archaeological Department demolished slum settlements near the Tughlakabad Fort, rendering thousands homeless.
“Similarly, the Central government demolished slum settlements near Mehrauli, rendering thousands homeless,” he said.
The minister said that “we had explained that these poor people’s children study in nearby schools, their daughters go to nearby colleges, these people work in nearby areas, and their women work in households”.
“If their homes are demolished, their lives will be ruined. However, the BJP government seated at the Centre and its agencies forcibly snatched these settlements from thousands of people solely due to their stubbornness,” he said.
He said that in the past few years, the BJP government and its agencies like DDA, Railways, Archaeological Department, and NDMC have been continuously demolishing homes of people living in Delhi’s poor settlements.
