'Insensitivity towards poor, arrogance': Rahul Gandhi slams BJP over demolitions in Delhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said hundreds of slum dwellers in Delhi are going through the pain of being rendered homeless with their houses being destroyed by the BJP government, and added that this atrocity exposes the ruling party's insensitivity towards the poor and its arrogance of power.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha shared a video of his recent visit to Delhi's Ashok Vihar area where houses of several people were brought down by the administration.

"Imagine, how would you feel if the roof over the head of your parents, children or siblings is suddenly taken away - if your entire family is rendered homeless in a single moment? Hundreds of poor families living in the jhuggis of Delhi are going through this pain today," Gandhi said in his post in Hindi on X along with the video.

सोचिए, अगर आपके अपने माँ-बाप, बच्चे या भाई-बहन के सिर से अचानक छत छीन ली जाए - अगर आपके पूरे परिवार को एक ही पल में बेघर कर दिया जाए, तो आपको कैसा लगेगा?

दिल्ली की झुग्गियों में रहने वाले सैकड़ों ग़रीब परिवार आज इसी दर्द से गुजर रहे हैं। जिन छोटे-छोटे घरों में उनकी पूरी ज़िंदगी… pic.twitter.com/lftR8NxwKD

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 27, 2025

The small houses in which they had settled their entire life were ruthlessly destroyed by the BJP government, he said.

These were not just houses - these were their dreams, their dignity and their means of living, he said.

"This atrocity being committed in the name of administration exposes the BJP's insensitivity towards the poor and its arrogance of power," Gandhi said.

"We stand firmly with these displaced families. This fight is no longer just for homes, it is for justice and humanity - and we will fight on every front," the former Congress chief said.

Last week, Gandhi had met some families in Ashok Vihar's Jailorwala Bagh and Wazirpur, whose houses were "bulldozed by the BJP government of Delhi".

In the video, Gandhi is seen interacting with the families who were rendered homeless. He assures them of taking up their cause and providing legal assistance.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) last month had carried out an anti-encroachment drive in West Delhi's Ashok Vihar and razed over 300 illegal dwellings.

A simultaneous anti-encroachment drive was also carried out in North Delhi's Wazirpur area by Indian Railways.

The demolition was carried out amid heavy police and paramilitary deployment. A total of 308 illegal dwellings were cleared from the Jailorwala Bagh in the Ashok Vihar area, as part of DDA's efforts to remove unauthorised settlements.

According to DDA, the action targeted jhuggi structures belonging to residents who were either already allotted alternative flats or were found ineligible under the rehabilitation policy.

(With PTI inputs)