NEW DELHI: Just a few hours after Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Puri revealed that Rohingya refugees in the national capital will be shifted to Economically Weaker Section (EWS) apartments in Bakkarwala, the locals of Bakkarwala village in West Delhi gathered outside EWS flats in the evening.
Bitto Balwan, who contested for the councillor on the ticket of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from the area in 2017, said “My village is more important for me than my party. The Rohingyas will be a big threat to us as we keep on reading about them on how they are involved in illegal activities, including drug peddling and stealing.”
The EWS flats have been constructed by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) in the Bakkarwala area near the Tikri border.
Pradeep Singh Sehrawat, another resident of the area, raised the same concern. On Wednesday, leaders from Congress, BJP and AAP joined the protest against the order, claimed Pradeep.
Rohit Sehrawat, the BJP local leader, who also joined the protest said, “Rohingyas are involved in all sorts of crimes.” He also claimed that Puri’s tweet was misinterpreted by the media.
As per the census, the Bakkarwala has a population of more than 18,000 and is dominated by the Jats.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs clarified in a series of tweets that it has not given any orders to relocate the Rohingya refugees. The Delhi government was further directed by the Union home ministry to keep the Rohingya refugees there until their deportation.
Last year, the Delhi government directed the NDMC to accommodate the foreign inmates in Baraat Ghar along with all EWS flats at Bakkarwala village.
Won’t let refugees settle in capital, says AAP MLA
NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government after cabinet minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that Rohingya refugees in Delhi will be shifted to economically weaker section (EWS) apartments in Bakkarwala. Speaking to the media, AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj said that his party will not permit Rohingya migrants to settle in the national capital because they will pose a threat to Delhi residents in the future.
Taking a jibe at the centre, Bhardwaj told the centre to settle the Rohingyas in BJP-ruled states instead. Bharadwaj condemned Puri’s statement and said the rapid penetration of Rohingyas will jeopardize national security.
“The BJP is bringing Rohingyas to the country for its own benefit. Why should the Delhi government invest Delhi’s taxpayer’s money to make a detention centre? The central government should deport them back instead.” At the behest of the L-G, the Chief Secretary of Delhi called a meeting and decided to settle Rohingyas in Delhi without the chief minister’s knowledge. He bypassed the elected government and sent a note directly to the L-G, said Bhardwaj.
He further added, “Hardeep Puri’s ministry has jurisdiction over NDMC and they have allotted EWS to the Rohingyas in Bakkarwala area. We will not let the Rohingyas settle here. No matter how hard the central government tries, we will ensure that these flats are not allocated to the Rohingyas.”