‘They wanted to make Delhi a city of lakes’: Anurag Thakur slams Kejriwal govt over death of UPSC aspirants in Old Rajender Nagar

Former union minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday lashed out at the Delhi government over the death of three UPSC aspirants in a rain-induced flood in the basement of a coaching centre. “What have they (AAP) done to Delhi today. They wanted to make Delhi a city of lakes but three students drowned in a basement (in Old Rajender Nagar). This is Arvind Kejriwal’s model in the national capital. This is the Aam Aadmi Party model,” he said, talking to reporters in Chandigarh.

“What state have they brought people to? Ask those families who have lost their little children, what they have to go through, who sent them to coaching centres for their bright future. Who knew they would lose them? This is the kind of politics they are playing,” Thakur said.

This morning, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena directed the divisional commissioner to prepare a report on the incident that triggered massive protests by students.

BJP MP from New Delhi Bansuri Swaraj said the tragedy was completely avoidable. He claimed that AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak was informed about it on July 22. “No action was taken… AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak is responsible for the death of children. MCD, Delhi Jal Board and sewage cleanliness come under the Arvind Kejriwal government.”

Delhi BJP president Virendraa Sachdeva said his party has been alleging for the past two months that the city’s drains are not being cleaned. He alleged that the AAP government is only indulging in corruption. “It was the AAP’s responsibility to ensure that the drains are cleaned. The AAP only cares about Arvind Kejriwal’s weight and sugar levels. They do not care about public opinion,” he said.

Sachdeva said criminal proceedings should be initiated against officials of Delhi Jal Board, Delhi Fire Services and Municipal Corporation of Delhi. “Delhi Minister Aatishi, AAP MLA and AAP Mayor should resign. Delhi government should pay compensation of Rs 1 crore to the families of the deceased.”

AAP’s Durgesh Pathak called the incident “very unfortunate”. He said the building had permission only for storage and parking, but they built a training centre and a library in it. “There are many such buildings. I request the government and MCD to visit each such institute and investigate the matter,” he said.

The AAP MLA also demands strict action against the officials responsible for the incident. “Desilting (of the drains) has been done but still an inquiry needs to be held. Delhi’s sewage system has collapsed and the reason for this is that the BJP was in power for 15 years. We have been here for a year and we are working on the drains but I don’t want to get into any game of accusations, I want the matter to be investigated and strict action should be taken against the person responsible.”