Opposition mounts attack on BJP over proliferating PGs

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress on Monday (September 7) protested against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over the building collapse in Satya Niketan that killed seven people. 

AAP staged a protest in Satya Niketan, demanding that the BJP government release a list of people who own paying guest (PG) accommodation in the area. 

AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned who was operating the “PG mafia”, why action was not being taken against illegal PGs and whether influential BJP leaders had financial interests in them. He asked how Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) engineers or police personnel could act against illegal PGs if powerful political figures were running them. 

Mr. Bharadwaj alleged that people on social media had, since Sunday, been claiming that several senior BJP leaders owned properties in the area. “The exploitation of students through expensive PG accommodations, and the MCD’s failure to act against it, is linked to the fact that influential leaders have invested heavily in properties there,” he said. 

He said suspending a single Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner would not solve the problem. “The names of influential BJP leaders whose money is invested here, resulting in the exploitation of students, must be made public,” he said. 

Mr. Bharadwaj also said the Central government must build hostels for students in the area. “Until hostels are constructed and allotted to students, the government should pay students’ PG fees. Only then will the government have an incentive to build hostels quickly, otherwise, it will not,” he said. 

‘Justice for victims’

Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav staged a sit-in at the site of the collapse, demanding justice for the injured and the families of those killed. 

Mr. Yadav alleged that corruption in the BJP-led system was responsible for the collapse. He questioned who had permitted repairs to be carried out in the basement of the 50-year-old, five-storey building without safety arrangements after the basement was flooded, and alleged administrative irresponsibility and corruption. 

“The Congress’s protest against the Rekha Gupta government will continue till strict action is taken against the culprits and justice is done to the injured and the families of the deceased students. Municipal Commissioner should resign taking responsibility for the collapse as repeat of such mishaps happen due to corruption in the MCD, from top to bottom,” Mr. Yadav said. 

Govt. responds

Responding to the Opposition’s allegations, Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood said, “We are concerned about the safety of the children and about fixing the rotten system that the ‘A-team’ and ‘B-team’ have built up within this administration over the last 27 years. The focus must be on what action needs to be taken.”