Rahul Gandhi visit spurs Congresss to launch helpline against slum demolition

The party, echoing Rahul, said it would not let such destruction of homes to take place in future.

Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh with leaders Haroon Yusuf and Mukesh Sharma at the helpline launch on Friday. (Source: PTI)

A day after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi visited residents of the Rangpuri Pahadi slum, which was demolished, the party’s Delhi unit launched a 24-hour helpline for slum dwellers to inform the party about similar ‘illegal’ drives.

The party, echoing Rahul, said it would not let such destruction of homes to take place in future. Launching helpline number – 8595595595 — Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely said such demolitions were illegal as the government didn’t provide alternative land to those residing in these slums. “The government is violating this rule. But the Congress will not sit silently. While the government is constructing night shelters for the poor, the helpline will function for this,” he said.

Lovely said on receiving information on the helpline, local leaders and the party cadre will rush to rush to slum area and “prepare for major sacrifices”.

After the party’s defeat in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, an internal analysis revealed that its traditional support base in JJ colonies and slums was deteriorating. The AAP had made significant inroads in these places. The Congress was quick to attack AAP on the issue.

“The AAP is busy collecting money from people. He (Kejriwal) hasn’t even bothered to meet people from the JJ clusters yet. The BJP and the AAP are trying to do their best to uproot 25 lakh individuals from their homes,” Congress leader Haroon Yusuf said.

The party has been conducting extensive campaign drives in different neighbourhoods, with local leaders taking a leaf out of the AAP’s book and visiting individual homes. “We are looking to increase our acceptability in JJ colonies. The AAP had successfully taken up issues of electricity and water and, as a result, our support in these places had suffered. But we are taking on the same issues, while exposing AAP’s fraudulent politics,” a senior leader said.

First uploaded on: 29-11-2014 at 03:04 IST

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