Jaya Bachchan’s mother Indira Bhaduri protests against the demolition in Bhopal. Picture by Raj Patidar

Bhopal, Sept. 16: Jaya Bachchan’s mother Indira Bhaduri today claimed the Congress-ruled civic body had targeted her house because her daughter was a Samajwadi Party MP.

The 76-year-old addressed a news conference to oppose the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) drive that resulted in the demolition of a part of her house on Thursday on grounds of “encroachment” and “illegal construction”.

“I stay alone here. This is wrong. I am 76 years old, they should not do this to me,” Indira said.

But she was more bothered that Jaya’s name was being dragged in. “Baby (Jaya) does not even live here. Why are you dragging in her name?”

Bhopal mayor Sunil Sood, however, dismissed Indira’s charges of a political conspiracy to malign Jaya, who owns the flat her mother stays in.

“In that case if I am a problem, shoot me so that others can live in peace,” Indira said.

The mayor said the anti-encroachment drive had been undertaken on orders from the court and the Lokayukta. “In the eyes of law, there is no distinction among citizens. Our drive against encroachment is in keeping with norms. It should not be politicised.”

Sood is a Congress corporator considered close to minister of state Suresh Pachauri. The Bachchan family’s differences with Sonia Gandhi are no secret.

“They (Jaya and 23 other owners) will have to cough up the cost of the demolition drive, too. We have not calculated it yet but it will be substantial,” Sood said.

Indira was accompanied at the news conference by Samajwadi Party MLA Narain Tripathi. “We all know who is the mastermind behind all this. Personal ego and differences should not be taken beyond a limit,” he said.

“The Bachchans are being targeted as part of political vendetta. The Congress is trying to get even with them.”

BMC additional commissioner K.K. Singh Chauhan rejected Tripathi’s charge as “baseless”.

“We have followed the high court order. There is no party politics involved in our action. We have not targeted anyone,” Chauhan said.

The owners of the 24 ground-floor flats had built a boundary wall and a shed on land meant to be open space. People living on the upper floors had protested and urged the BMC to raze the illegal structures.

Jaya and 23 other residents had moved Jabalpur High Court against the demolition but their plea was rejected.