The Bharatiya Janata Party has raised the issue of the deaths of homeless people in Delhi during winter at the Delhi Assembly and demanded that CM Arvind Kejriwal speak on the matter. A heated argument was seen between the AAP and the BJP leaders in the Assembly after the BJP alleged that 203 unidentified persons died in the capital during the winter season, and they are suspected to be “homeless” people.
The BJP leader said that the deaths have occurred due to “neglect and delay” on the part of the Delhi government and DUSIB in setting up night shelters. The Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, gave a notice for a calling attention motion, but Speaker Ram Niwas Goel rejected it and said he would first study the matter and decide.
Bidhuri pointed out that, according to a Delhi Police report, 203 homeless people had died on the streets in the past few months. “We demand CM Arvind Kejriwal to speak on the matter and provide us the answer,” said Bidhuri. He further added, “The Delhi government is unwilling to discuss any issue concerning the public, and it is not holding itself accountable for the deaths of 203 people in Delhi.”
Hitting back, AAP Minister Saurab Bharadwaj said that the BJP misled the assembly with lies and that a case of disrespect to the assembly could be pursued against them. He added from the Delhi Police website, “it is clear that throughout the year, approximately 300-350 bodies are recovered irrespective of the weather, and they have different causes of death.”
He said that everyone knows November didn’t have such an intense cold that it would lead to someone’s death. Most of the deaths occur due to road accidents, murder, and other reasons. He further blamed the BJP-led central government for demolishing houses and slums and leaving the people homeless.
Earlier, the BJP Delhi unit President, Virender Sachdeva, said while addressing the press, “Hundreds of people die every year in the winter due to the AAP government’s callous attitude. The government’s winter action plan should provide better arrangements for food and shelter for the homeless so that they don’t get sick in the cold. Due to this government’s negligence, a large number of night shelters are in bad shape.”