SDMC Mayor Mukesh Suryan said that the body has identified some areas, including Shaheen Bagh, Okhla, Madanpur Khadar, Jasola, Sarita Vihar and Sri Niwaspurim, which has illegal encroachments and need to be removed. Incidentally, these areas of Delhi have a large Muslim population
Visual from Jahangirpuri. ANI
A political slugfest between the AAP and the BJP has intensified since several concrete and temporary structures close to a mosque were demolished in the violence-hit Jahangirpuri during an anti-encroachment drive carried out by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation on Wednesday. Adding fuel to that, BJP-led East and South Delhi Municipal Corporations have identified and have decided to bulldoze illegal encroachments.
SDMC Mayor Mukesh Suryan said that a preliminary survey is being carried out and the body has identified some areas, including Shaheen Bagh, Okhla, Madanpur Khadar, Jasola, Sarita Vihar and Sri Niwaspurim, areas that can be also isolated for having illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Rohingyas.
Abhishek Dutt, media spokesperson of Congress, spoke to News18, saying that illegal encroachments should be removed however, it should be done across Delhi, and not be foccused only on certain areas.
Referring to Sainik Farms, which according to Dutt, has illegal encroachments, he said, “The illegal encroachments should be removed as per law and not by the liking and disliking of a certain person, who could be the president of BJP or Mayor of South Delhi Municipality.”
When asked whether BJP is identifying only Muslim dominated areas to continue with the demolition with bulldozers, the party’s spokesperson, Harish Khurrana said that he fails to understand why the AAP and other parties are having an issue in removing illegal constructions and sending the Rohingyas and Bangladeshis to their respective countries. They are a national threat to the country.”
While the Opposition questioned that BJP was in power for the past 15 years, a time when these illegal encroachments happened, but the government chose to turn a blind eye to it, Khurrana said that such constructions can only take place with the help of local leaders.
Dutt argued that removing Rohinghyas is a prerogative of the Central government and the identifying them a job of the Delhi Police, so what the Mayor is trying to achieve is still unknown to him.
It may be noted, Muslim dominated Shaheen Bagh and Okhla were the sites of protests against the amendment of the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019 and early 2020. Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan said that the identification of these two areas for the drive is highly questionable.
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