The poor in Sarita Vihar area of New Delhi are left to fend for themselves amid the coronavirus lockdown as they were turned away because they didn’t vote for AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan. In a video shared by Rohit Kumar Choudhary, PhD Research Scholar at IIT Delhi on social networking site Twitter, some residents of the Sarita Vihar could be heard saying that they were turned away by those distributing ration because they don’t vote for them in elections. Sarita Vihar falls under Okhla constituency which is represented by Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan.
https://twitter.com/RohitKumar043/status/1259518405008211971?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwIn the above video, a woman can be heard saying how when they went to take ration, they were asked where they come from. “We said we come from Khadar… So they said that they will not give us ration as we do not vote for them. I said, even all Muslims don’t vote for you, but you are still giving them ration. I told him that some day you give them daal, rice, potatoes, give some to us also… but then he drove us away,” she said. She added that the ones distributing ration threatened that they will call in the police if they don’t leave. The residents allege that everyone living in the jhuggi settlement were denied ration.
https://twitter.com/RohitKumar043/status/1259522480147849216?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwIn subsequent video, the woman alleges that some are even distributing money along with ration for the poor but they are denied because of their religion. The woman alleges that good amount of ration is being distributed in Shaheen Bagh while they are left to fend for themselves. “We had gone to the MLA thrice, but then he sends us to these people who turn us away,” the woman said.
https://twitter.com/RohitKumar043/status/1259523739470843907?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw“They keep insulting us and tell us that were are insects,” the local residents allege. Speaking to OpIndia, Rohit Choudhary, the IIT Delhi student who has been engaged in relief work amid the coronavirus outbreak said that some of the migrant workers don’t have ration cards based in Delhi. Hence, Delhi Government had claimed that they would be provided temporary ration card. However, they are not provided such ration cards. “Moreover, those who do not have access to mobile phones have to pay sometimes as high as Rs 100 to get the temporary cards done,” Choudhary said.