The demolition of hundreds of homes in a slum cluster in west Delhi in which a six-month-old baby allegedly died, touched off a political storm on Monday with Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) targeting the Centre and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacking them both.
Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu admitted that "the demolition should not have happened in winter. I have conveyed this to the railway minister."
Rahul Gandhi made a high profile visit to the Shakur Basti area, where thousands of people have been left homeless in the cold after the slums were razed on Saturday by the railway police allegedly to make way for a terminal.
"Whenever a slum is about to be destroyed here, call Rahul Gandhi, he won't let this happen," Mr Gandhi assured residents flocking around him.
Mr Gandhi made it clear that he believed AAP, which governs Delhi, also had a role, though Arvind Kejriwal's party has blamed the railway police, which reports to the Centre.
"Why are they (AAP) protesting? They are in power," Mr Gandhi said on AAP protests at Parliament.
Chief Minister Kejriwal retorted in a tweet that "Rahul Gandhi is still a kid. His party has probably not informed him that railways comes under the central government and not under the Delhi government."
AAP alleges that no warning was given to people before some 1,000 homes were razed.
Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu admitted that "the demolition should not have happened in winter. I have conveyed this to the railway minister."
"Whenever a slum is about to be destroyed here, call Rahul Gandhi, he won't let this happen," Mr Gandhi assured residents flocking around him.
Mr Gandhi made it clear that he believed AAP, which governs Delhi, also had a role, though Arvind Kejriwal's party has blamed the railway police, which reports to the Centre.
"Why are they (AAP) protesting? They are in power," Mr Gandhi said on AAP protests at Parliament.
Chief Minister Kejriwal retorted in a tweet that "Rahul Gandhi is still a kid. His party has probably not informed him that railways comes under the central government and not under the Delhi government."
AAP alleges that no warning was given to people before some 1,000 homes were razed.
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