delhi

Updated: Dec 25, 2019 06:39 IST

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Tuesday told party leaders and MPs in Delhi to set up offices in each of the 1,731 unauthorised colonies in the city, as the party steps up efforts to take credit for regularising these residential areas in the run up to assembly elections in Delhi.

A BJP leader in the party’s Delhi unit said that Shah issued the directions to the Delhi state general secretary Siddharthan, and asked that each of the 1,731 offices start functioning within the next two days.

The National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition of Property Rights of Residents in Unauthorised Colonies) Act, 2019 was one of the key pieces of legislation passed in the recently concluded winter session of Parliament. A law that will affect up to 4 million people, it recognises the property rights of the residents of colonies that mushroomed over the years in various parts of Delhi without proper authorization on agricultural and government land. Shah also told the MPs and other leaders that they not only have to set up these offices, but also give him a list of all the people they help in registering their properties. There are a total of 1.1 million homes in these colonies.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has welcomed the law and maintains it was passed because of pressure from the state government, said it was surprised that the BJP did not already have offices in all colonies.

“It is rather strange because the AAP has offices in all unauthorised colonies. People will definitely link this move of the BJP with the upcoming assembly elections in Delhi,” said the AAP’s national spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj. He added that the move “shows that so far the BJP has ignored unauthorised colonies in Delhi despite ruling the municipal corporations and all the seven parliamentary seats”.

Delhi BJP president and North-east Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari said the decision to open offices would prove beneficial to residents of these colonies. “Many people feel they have to pay a lot of money to register their properties,” he said. “Our workers will able to help them without them being harassed by touts. Our offices will start functioning from tomorrow.”

When asked where the BJP would find the space for such offices in such a short time, BJP MP from South Delhi, Ramesh Bidhuri said: “We have so many spaces — many of them are our workers’ homes. All we need to do is to put up a sign and put two workers there with a computer.”

This is not the only initiative being taken by the party in preparation for the 2020 polls. On Monday evening, party leader BL Santhosh hosted a core group meeting with Delhi leaders in which a nine-point note was generated on the upcoming elections.

The to-do list for Delhi, which was reviewed by HT, talks of events starting from December 26, when a social media workshop is being organised for Delhi leaders. On the same day, 100 leaders who came from outside the city are scheduled to have a lunch meeting, followed by visits to assembly constituencies.

On 27 December, Delhi BJP will produce a “charge-sheet” on the AAP government’s performance, which will be propagated door-to-door till New Year’s Day. There are also events planned at the Indira Gandhi stadium and Talkatora stadium.