Residents of unauthorised colonies need registration of properties, not a law: Kejriwal targets BJP

Residents of unauthorised colonies in Delhi need registration of their properties and not a new law, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday, a day after the Lok Sabha passed a Bill to grant ownership rights to people living there. Talking to reporters here, the chief minister asked people not to trust anyone until they get registry papers in their hands as previous governments had promised the same, but failed to meet it.

Kejriwal also attacked the BJP-led central government, saying that the saffron party's promise will end up as betrayal of people as the Congress did earlier. The Delhi assembly elections are due early next year.

"People need registry and not a law, but when will it happen, it is unknown. It is being said that property registration papers will be given to people six months after the assembly elections. "I have heard that in coming days, they (BJP leaders) will hold rallies to give registry to 100 people for photo op. I want to ask why just 100 people and not all residents of unauthorised colonies," Kejriwal said.

The BJP is saying that rest of residents will be given registration papers after assembly polls, but who knows what would happen later, he said. As the Lok Sabha passed the Bill, Union Housing and Urban Affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday tweeted, ""History Created! I join more than 40 lakhs fellow citizens of Delhi to celebrate the passing of NCT of Delhi (Recognition of Property Rights of Residents in Unauthorised Colonies) Bill 2019 in LS & thank PM Sh Modi Ji for making this visionary step possible."

Although the BJP credited the prime minister with taking the step to provide ownership rights to residents of unauthorised colonies, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi has alleged that the legislation is a "lollypop" brought with the "ill-intention" of wooing the people living in such areas. On its part, the Congress, which was in power in Delhi for 15 consecutive years under the leadership of late chief minister Sheila Dikshit, termed the bill a "fraud" and that it aimed at reaping electoral benefits in the assembly elections.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)