A political quarrel erupted after Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that Rohingya refugees will be moved to apartments in Bakkarwala, on the outskirts of Delhi, and that they will also receive basic services and police protection.
NEW DELHI: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri sparked controversy on Wednesday (August 17, 2022) after saying that Rohingya refugees will be relocated to apartments in Bakkarwala, on the outskirts of Delhi and will also receive basic services and police protection. Hours later, the Ministry of Interior (MHA) made it clear that “there had been no instructions” to provide housing for Rohingya Muslims in Delhi and called on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government led by Arvind Kejriwal to ensure that illegal aliens remain their current position. The MHA also said illegal Rohingya aliens are to be held in detention centers pending their removal under the law, and the Delhi government has been ordered to declare their current position as a detention center.
“India has always welcomed those who have sought refuge in the country. In a key decision, all Rohingya refugees will be relocated to EWS apartments in the Bakkarwala district of Delhi. You will receive basic services, UNHCR ID documents and 24/7 police protection in Delhi, “tweeted Puri.
Those who have made a career out of spreading canards about India’s refugee policies and knowingly associating them with the #CAA will be disappointed.
India respects and follows the @UN Refugee Convention 1951 and offers refuge to all, regardless of their race, religion or belief. @MIB_India @NBirenSingh pic.twitter.com/6jyMl9dJ7Q – Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) August 17, 2022
However, the MHA released a statement, stating: “Regarding the news in some parts of the media about illegal Rohingya foreigners, it is made clear that the MHA has not issued any instructions to provide housing for illegal Rohingya migrants in Bakkarwala in the New EWS for provide Delhi. “
“The Delhi government has proposed moving the Rohingya to a new location. The MHA mandated the Delhi government to ensure that Rohingya irregular foreigners remain in the current location in Kanchan Kunj, Madanpur Khadar, as the MHA has already addressed the issue of deportation of illegal aliens with the affected country via the Ministry. of Foreign Affairs, “the statement added.
“Illegal foreigners are required by law to be held in detention centers pending deportation. The Delhi government has not declared the current site a detention center. They were instructed to do so without delay, “the ministry said.
Puri, a former diplomat, later shared a copy of the MHA statement and said it reflects the “correct position”.
“The press release from the Ministry of Interior on the issue of Rohingya illegal aliens reflects the correct position,” he tweeted.
The press release from the Ministry of Interior on the issue of Rohingya irregular foreigners reflects the correct position. https://t.co/NhLPKaJTdg – Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) August 17, 2022
The Center Has Tried “Secretly” To Give The Rohingya Permanent Residence: AAP
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister of Delhi and AAP leader Manish Sisodia rejected the Union Interior Ministry’s claim that it was a proposal from the Delhi government, stating that the BJP-led center was ” secretly seeking “to give refugees” permanent residence “in the state capital.
He also said that the center in the morning called the transfer of Rohingya to EWS-class apartments in the city as his “result”, but later started blaming the Delhi government after the AAP opposed the pronounce.
Sisodia said Delhi police and some officials made the decision to grant permanent residency to the Rohingya in the city, on instructions from Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and at the behest of the Union government.
“The central government, in collusion with the LG of Delhi, has hatched a conspiracy to permanently settle the Rohingya in Delhi”, accused the deputy CM of Delhi.
