NewDelhi/Nagpur: Politics is now being played out over the demolition drive in Shakur Basti in the national capital. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday took a jibe at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi by calling him a kid.
“Rahul Gandhi is a kid. I think his party has not told him that railway comes under the Government of India,” Kejriwal tweeted.
राहुल गांधी जी अभी बच्चे हैं। उनकी पार्टी ने शायद उन्हें बताया नहीं की रेल्वे केंद्र सरकार के अंडर आती है, दिल्ली सरकार के नहीं।
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 14, 2015
The remarks came after Rahul questioned Aam Aadmi Party’s dharna outside Parliament over the issue. “Why is AAP doing dharna in Parliament. It’s under their government that demolition happened.”
Slamming Rahul for taking mileage over the incident, AAP said, “Where was Rahul Gandhi for the 48 hours. He is not aware of the facts of the case. After getting time from National Herald case and enjoying at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium yesterday, he seems to have woken up to the incident.”
The AAP will raise the issue in both the Houses of Parliament, along with the Janata Dal United and Trinamool Congress. Party sources said while the AAP has moved an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha, the matter will be raised in the Rajya Sabha by TMC and JDU.
“We will be raising the issue in Lok Sabha. We have moved an adjournment motion and will also take it up in the Zero Hour. Our friends in the TMC and JDU will do the same in Rajya Sabha since we don’t have any representation there,” said a party spokesperson.
A fresh confrontation raged between the Arvind Kejriwal Government and Centre over the death of the infant girl at a slum cluster at Shakur Basti Railway Colony that was demolished by Railways on Saturday.
Enraged over a demolition drive that has been blamed for the death of the 6-month-old baby, Kejriwal has said he has sought a meeting with Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu over the issue.
“Sought an appointment with Railway Minister, Sh Suresh Prabhu ji,” Kejriwal wrote on Twitter.
Terming the incident as inhuman, Delhi Minister Satyendra Jain alleged the demolition was carried out “to teach a lesson” to these people who had voted for Arvind Kejriwal.
“Without making any alternative arrangements for them, their houses were demolished. The demolition was carried out to teach a lesson to these people who had voted for Arvind Kejriwal. In the process an infant girl has died and the post-mortem has revealed that she had received severe head injury and that her ribs had broken,” said Jain.
The Delhi government ordered a magisterial probe into the demolition of 1200 slum units at Shakur Basti in West Delhi and planned to move court seeking FIR against those who ordered the action citing the Special Provision Act according to which no demolition can be carried out until government needs land urgently.