In first big rally, Delhi Congress to protest slum demolitions today; Rahul Gandhi may drop in

Indian Express

5 days ago

In its first major demonstration since the BJP came to power in the Capital earlier this year, the Delhi unit of Congress is set to hold a protest against the ruling party on Monday over the recent demolition in slum clusters in the city, among other issues.
Sources suggested Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, may make an appearance at the protest. Gandhi, in Delhi for the Parliament's Monsoon session, has in the past dropped in unannounced at local party protests in the city.
'His appearance tomorrow would not be out of character… there is a huge possibility he might show up,' a Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee office (DPCC) functionary said.
The demonstration is set to begin at the Sushruta Trauma Centre near Chandgi Ram Akhara and proceed to the Delhi Assembly, where the Monsoon session begins Monday.
Since the BJP came to power in the Capital, the Congress's Delhi unit has claimed that over 3,000 jhuggi-jhopri dwellings have been razed, displacing nearly 15,000 families.
Last month, Gandhi visited the Ashok Vihar slum cluster in Jailorwala Bagh, where hundreds of homes were demolished in June as part of an ongoing anti-encroachment drive. Videos shared by the Congress on social media showed Gandhi walking through the debris, speaking to residents who said they were left homeless.
In addition to demolitions, Congress leaders claimed the protest will highlight 'broader grievances' — law and order, drug proliferation, and unfulfilled BJP poll promises like the monthly stipend of Rs 2,500 for women and its promise to end the perennial monsoon water-logging woes in the city.
This protest comes at a significant moment for the Delhi Congress — after nearly a decade of marginalisation following the fall of the Sheila Dikshit-led government, the party has been attempting to regain the ground it lost to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Slum dwellers, who once were the backbone of the Congress's vote bank, had shifted to AAP after the Anna Andolan.
On Sunday, ahead of its protest, the party released a video compilation on its social media platforms, juxtaposing two statements made by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. The first, from May, features Gupta assuring the media that slums in Delhi would not be demolished. The second clip is from her response to Gandhi's recent visit to the Ashok Vihar demolition site, where she remarked that the Chief Minister 'cannot protect illegal colonies'.
Posting the video, the Delhi Congress captioned it: 'How can we trust her promises now?'.
Several Congress MPs also raised the issue of demolitions in Delhi in Parliament.