Addressing the crowd, Kejriwal said, “It’s only been five months since they formed the government, and already the situation in Delhi has deteriorated so badly that people have had to gather here today.”

Referring to a video he had released before the elections, Kejriwal claimed he had warned of mass evictions. “I had said they would demolish jhuggis within a year if they came to power—I didn’t think they’d do it in just five months,” he said.

The former chief minister lashed out at the ongoing demolitions amid Delhi’s sweltering summer. “It’s 50 degrees right now. In this heat, they are tearing down homes and leaving people out on the streets,” he said.

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kejriwal referred to the BJP’s slogan “Jahan jhuggi, wahan makaan” and rephrased it as “Jahan jhuggi, wahan maidan”. “Modiji had appealed for your votes with promises of housing. But look at what he meant — not homes, just empty grounds.”

Kejriwal also mocked the BJP’s pre-election outreach to slum-dwellers. “Remember their Jhuggi Ratri Pravas Abhiyan ? Their leaders came to your homes, ate with you, played carroms with your children. And today, those are the very homes they are destroying,” he said.

According to Kejriwal, over 40 lakh people in Delhi live in slum settlements.

“The day 40 lakh people come out on the streets, Delhi’s jhuggis will be saved,” he said, urging those who had gathered to continue their mobilisation. The AAP chief also warned the Congress, whose 15-year reign in Delhi ended with the rise of the AAP after the 2011 anti-corruption movement. “This is the same Jantar Mantar where the Congress was removed from power. If you (BJP) don’t stop now, your government won’t last more than three years.”

After loosing the Delhi elections to the BJP, the AAP feared its vote base—the Dalits and minorities—will move back to the Congress, parties they used to vote for before Kejriwal rose to power.

Comparing the BJP to the Congress, he said, “Both BJP and Congress are anti-poor. These are parties of the rich, and they come to power to make money. Only the AAP has worked for the poor.”

Reacting to the allegations, the Congress accused Kejriwal of shedding crocodile tears for the homeless. “When bulldozer action was being taken all over Delhi and the poor were being rendered homeless, where was former CM Kejriwal who is now suddenly shedding crocodile tears? Not only do they need to atone for their sins, but they are also required to answer some questions! Today Delhi Congress President @devendrayadvinc ji will ask 10 questions to Aam Aadmi Party. Is Kejriwal ready???” the party’s Delhi unit wrote on X.

Kejriwal also alleged that power supply had worsened under the new government. “Five months ago, Delhi had uninterrupted electricity. Today, even in my house—which is next to Rashtrapati Bhavan—there are five power cuts a day,” he said, adding that the government subsidies would also be removed within an year.

Kejriwal concluded by asking the crowd to take a pledge to never vote for either the BJP or the Congress again.
Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj also took to the stage, responding to recent remarks by BJP leaders suggesting that many of those displaced in demolitions were “Bangladeshis and Rohingyas”. Turning to the crowd, he asked, “Are you Bangladeshis? Are you Rohingya?” A “No!” came back in response from the crowd.

Former minister Gopal Rai echoed the sentiment. “Even before the BJP came to power, Arvind Kejriwal had warned what their bulldozers would do. And now, they are not just breaking homes—they are questioning your very identity.”

Rai also referred to the BJP’s housing promises. “You said Jahan jhuggi, wahan makaan — then give the homes first. We’ll remove the jhuggis ourselves,” he said.