Demolishing houses of poor is the truth of BJP's 'anyay kaal': Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday, 29 February attacked the BJP over the razing of the house of a rat-hole miner who was part of the Silkyara tunnel rescue operation, saying demolishing the houses of the poor and humiliating them is the truth of the BJP's "anyay kaal".

Several houses, including that of Wakeel Hassan, feted for saving with his team of rat-hole miners 41 workers trapped in Uttarkashi's Silkyara tunnel in November last year, were razed in a demolition drive carried out by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in Khajoori Khas area on Wednesday, 28 February.

In a post on X, Vadra shared a video of Hassan's wife in which she is heard saying that her husband was the hero of Uttarkashi whom everyone respected and in exchange for that honour, "they took away my house".

Vadra said Hassan risked his life to save the workers trapped inside the Uttarkashi tunnel.

"Then, for their publicity, big leaders of the BJP had gotten photographs clicked with him. Now when the publicity is over, today the same Wakeel Hassan was locked in the police station and his house was demolished and the roof was taken away from the heads of his children," the Congress general secretary said.

"Demolishing the houses of the poor, crushing them, torturing and humiliating them - this injustice is the truth of the BJP's 'anyay kaal'. The public will definitely respond to this injustice," Vadra said.

The DDA had said on Wednesday, 28 February that the demolition drive was carried out on land that was "part of planned development land". Police said several structures built illegally were demolished during the drive.

Hours after razing his house, the DDA offered to move Hassan and his family to a temporary accommodation but he declined the offer, sources said on Thursday.

Hassan told PTI that DDA officials also told him that he would soon be provided a house in the Govindpuri area but he refused to accept the offer as it was only a "verbal assurance".