Absence of MLAs during violence irks residents

New Delhi: The absence of local politicians, including MLAs and councillors, from their respective constituencies at the time when violence was being unleashed in northeast Delhi, has irked residents who say that they have lost faith in every political party.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA of Babarpur-Maujpur, Gopal Rai, is yet to visit his constituency, even as communal tensions are on the wane and this has led to residents raising serious questions against the MLA and his commitment towards his constituency and its residents.
Residents of Vijay Park, Maujpur, Yamuna Vihar, which was one of the epicentres of the communal tensions, told The Sunday Guardian that despite making repeated calls to local MLA Gopal Rai for help, nothing was done to protect them.
Shahnawaz Qureshi, a resident of Vijay Park, whose house was attacked and burnt down by a mob told The Sunday Guardian, “Gopal Rai is the worst MLA we have ever seen. Despite making several calls to him and other AAP leaders, they failed to help us. Even now when things are slowly crawling back to normalcy, he has not come here even once to see what has actually happened. He did not even talk to any of us, neither did he send any representative to meet us and understand what we are living through here.” Several other residents from these areas echoed the same sentiment about how local leaders who were roaming around these streets just a few days back to seek votes, went missing when these residents needed them the most.
Salman, another resident of Yamuna Vihar, told this newspaper, “Just days back, we voted AAP to power and when the violence was happening, the party said they cannot help because the Delhi government has no power over law and order. Then why is Delhi government even there when they can’t help? The entire Delhi Cabinet, including our MLA Gopal Rai, could go and sit on a dharna at Rajghat when people were dying here, but could not come to help us.”
The story of anger against politicians is similar across the entire region that has been affected by one of the worst communal riots witnessed by Delhi in decades.
Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Malliwal also had to face the wrath of angry residents in northeast district. Malliwal was booed at when she was visiting the area.
Khajuri Khas comes under the Karawal Nagar constituency where BJP MLA, Mohan Singh Bisht, had won the recent Delhi elections. Bisht is also facing the anger of residents.
Aman Sharma, a resident of Khajuri Khas, told this newspaper, “No politicians came to help us over the last few days. They were hiding in their own safe houses when this area was burning. Now, they are coming to see us, for what? What were these politicians doing when we needed help from them?”
Another resident from the same area said, “Bisht sahab ko humne salon se jitaya hain aur ab jab humko help Karni baari aayi woh nahi ayein. Janta sab yaad rakhegi.”
Khajuri Khas is the same area where Ankit Sharma, the murdered Intelligence Bureau officer, lived. This is also the same area where AAP’s councillor Tahir Hussain’s factory is located. The factory has come under the scanner for fuelling the riots by stocking petrol bombs, stones and acid packets.
Residents here have also raised questions about the Aman Committees which are being formed to bring peace in the area. Residents say that members of the Aman Committees are selected on the basis of closeness of the people to politicians here, rather than selecting people who could actually help bridge the divide which has been created between communities and bring peace.
Northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari was also visiting the area on Thursday evening while The Sunday Guardian team was present on the ground. Manoj Tiwari was seen talking to residents of this area who asked Tiwari several questions.
Manoj Tiwari told The Sunday Guardian, “After seeing everything here, I can say that whatever happened here was all pre-planned. The priority for us now is that there is peace among the people here and all rumours that are spreading here are curtailed. Let the investigative agencies do their job and bring to book each and everyone who were involved in the violence.”
With inputs from Abhinandan Mishra and Pratyush Deep Kotoky