Asaduddin Owaisi, the chief of AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen), visited Delhi’s Jahangirpuri late this evening after the day-long tension over demolitions and attacked both BJP and Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party. The BJP-controlled civic body of Delhi had razed over 20 shops in the area and the gates and outer walls of a mosque that was at the centre of Saturday’s violence during the Hanuman Jayanti celebrations.
“Thankfully, the Supreme Court settled this issue in time. Even so, so many shops were razed. The main question is — this state of affairs has been continuing for seven years. Why did you not say anything then? Why not issue a notice?” he told reporters.
Owaisi also ripped into AAP over its mention of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in this context.
“The regrettable matter is, the AAP is calling these people Rohingyas and Bangladeshi?” Owaisi said, referring to AAP leaders’ allegation that the BJP had settled Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in parts of the country with the intention of orchestrating communal violence.
“If you want to know about the location of the next riots, just ask the BJP for a list of where they have relocated Bangladeshis and Rohingyas,” AAP leader Sanjay Singh said. Similar comments were made by his party colleague Raghav Chadha and Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
There have been allegations that the demolition in Jahangirpuri fitted a disturbing pattern seen in states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, where bulldozers were used following communal clashes targetting one community. The allegation has also been made in a petition filed in the Supreme Court today.
The court’s order to maintain status quo till tomorrow’s hearing, however, was not implemented immediately. The civic officials said they will continue doing their job till they had the court order in hand, necessitating another intervention by the judges.
The bulldozers stopped nearly two hours after the order was issued.
The civic body has denied the allegations, saying these are routine demolitions and take place everywhere in the city. But critics questioned the timing, with the demolition taking place days after the violence between two communities during the Hanuman Jayanti celebrations. Nine people, including eight policemen were injured during Saturday’s clashes.
Congress’s Rahul Gandhi called it the “demolition of India’s constitutional values” and “state-sponsored targeting of poor & minorities”. AAP’s Raghav Chadha directly accused Home Minister Amit Shah of orchestrating communal riots and asked that his home to be demolished. CPM’s Brinda Karat called it “a demolition of Constitution, Rule Of Law and the Supreme Court’s order”.
With inputs from NDTV
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