Kejriwal government didn't do anything: Harsh Vardhan

New Delhi : Accusing the Arvind Kejriwal government of "betraying" the poor residents of unauthorised colonies, Union Health minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday alleged that it did nothing for regularisation of these settlements in Delhi despite staying in power for five years.

Addressing a press conference, he charged that the previous Congress government too "cheated" the residents of unauthorised colonies by promising them ownership rights of their properties.

The press conference was attended by all the seven BJP MPs from the Delhi, including Vardhan and the party's city unit chief Manoj Tiwari, and Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel, in a show of strength and unity of the party ahead of the Assembly polls which is due early next year. It was for the first time after the parliamentary elections in May that all the seven BJP Lok Sabha MPs from Delhi shared a platform.

The Aam Aadmi Party government "betrayed" lakhs of poor residents of unauthorised colonies in the city and the BJP in coming days will "expose" how the ruling party "failed" the people regarding the 70 poll promises it made to the people to come to power in 2015, Vardhan, who represents Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat, said.

The issue of regularisation of unauthorised colonies has been a major poll plank in Delhi as it was in last Lok Sabha polls during which Kejriwal had alleged that the Narendra Modi government had "planned to demolish" them.

"There were three to four things that the Delhi government was required to do for regularisation as per regulations of 2008. The AAP government did not fulfil its responsibilities -- delineation of colonies, constitution of a committee to confer titles, fixing charges and fees -- despite being in power for five years," Vardhan alleged.

The Modi government started work for regularisation of unauthorised colonies in 2014 itself, he said. The Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) had promised to regularise the unauthorised colonies within one year of coming power, in its manifesto of 2015 Delhi Assembly polls, Vardhan said.

"Delhi government did not finalise the boundaries of the unauthorised colonies and kept on seeking extension after extension. In 2017, extension was sought till 2019 and now again further a further extension of two year has been sought. As per Delhi government's own submission, delineation can not be completed till December 2021," he claimed.