At an event organised at Neelam Park on Thursday, five organisations of survivors of the December 1984 Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal congratulated the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for its thumping victory in Delhi elections. The organisations said that gas victims of Bhopal are particularly happy with the outcome of the Delhi elections because both BJP and Congress, who have betrayed the interests of gas victims have faced humiliating defeat.
The organisations said that in the last 30 years, both of these parties have only protected the interests of American corporations and have sacrificed the legal rights of the Bhopal gas victims. They also said that after agreeing to their demand regarding additional compensation, the Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers is yet to deliver anything concrete.
The organisations are also angered by the silence of the Chief Minister, who in 2011, had promised to give Rs5 lakh for every gas victims. They said the State Government had promised jobs to 10,000 gas victims, but till now only 500 have got jobs and most of the Rs18 crore spent on economic rehabilitation has gone into the pockets of corrupt ministers and officials of the State Government.
The organisations said that Delhi election results have made it clear that people of this country give a befitting reply to hollow promises and false assurances of politicians. They said that their members are now preparing to confront the powers that are at the State and the Centre on the promises made on the issue of additional compensation.