A war of words erupted between BJP and AAP over the North Delhi Municipal Corporation bulldozing ‘encroachments’ in Jahangirpuri. AAP alleged that an ‘order had been issued’ to harass a community in the name of encroachments, while BJP alleged AAP was giving religious colour to the drive.

BJP had ‘engineered clashes’ in various parts of the country recently, AAP alleged. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha alleged BJP, “promoted riots, violence and hooliganism across India. If you want to end riots in this country forever, the BJP headquarters should be bulldozed immediately.” Chadha dared the BJP to function on ‘bulldozer justice’ and demolish the houses of BJP leaders who “took bribes to let encroachments come up.”

The Jahangirpuri demolition followed Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta’s letter to corporation mayor Iqbal Singh to ‘identify and demolish illegal construction and encroachment by those arrested for the violence’. Delhi BJP spokesman Aditya Jha told news agencies that it was the ‘beginning of a cleanliness drive’. “It will continue till Delhi will be made free of encroachments and foreign nationals illegally staying here,” Jha said.

BJP leader Kapil Mishra said that a ‘bulldozer of law, justice and Constitution’ will roll down in Jahangirpuri. “Bulldozer is the only solution if Bangladeshi infiltrators fire on police. Betting, smack, ganja and illegal parking are all business of Ansar. This drive is the beginning of making Delhi pollution free,” he claimed.

AAP hit back by alleging that BJP had ‘illegally settled Rohingyas and Bangladeshis in different parts of the country in the last eight years. “BJP is engineering hooliganism, violence and riots not just in Delhi, but across the country,” AAP’s Atishi said in a video message. She alleged Shah and BJP were behind all recent incidents of communal violence in various parts of the country. “Bulldozers should be run on the BJP headquarters and on the residence of Amit Shah. After this, riots will not take place in the country,” she said. Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia alleged that BJP has been engineering violence as it had nothing worth talking about in education, healthcare and other sectors.