NEW DELHI: Delhi CM Atishi on Sunday intensified the ongoing political debate on illegal immigrants by writing a formal letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, raising concerns over the resettlement of Rohingyas in the national capital.
The letter, sent when both AAP and the BJP are gearing up for Delhi polls, highlights what Atishi described as the Centre’s failure to protect India’s borders, leading to the infiltration and alleged settlement of Rohingyas in Delhi.
The CM cited a 2022 social media post by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who had announced the shifting of Rohingya refugees to EWS flats in the city’s Bakkarwala area.
Atishi claimed the statement was evidence of the Centre’s active involvement in settling the refugees.
“From the tweet of Shri Hardeep Puri, it seems they were settled into EWS flats of Bakkarwala. These flats were meant for the poor people of Delhi. It appears that the rights and facilities meant for the people of Delhi are being given away to migrants. People of Delhi will not tolerate this,” the letter read.
Atishi’s letter follows former CM Arvind Kejriwal’s sharp criticism of Shah during a televised programme.
Shah attributed the responsibility for securing India’s 4% unfenced borders to state governments, saying their role was to sensitise local populations and prevent infiltration from becoming a community crime. Kejriwal fired back, accusing the Centre of abdicating its constitutional responsibility for border security.
“How are infiltrators crossing the borders, both fenced and unfenced, if the Centre is responsible for them? The Union government cannot shift the blame onto state governments,” he said.
The issue has reignited a prolonged feud between the two parties over the presence of Rohingya immigrants in Delhi. AAP has repeatedly alleged that the BJP settled Rohingyas in the city, accusing it of ignoring the needs of Delhi’s residents.
The BJP, on the other hand, has accused AAP of facilitating illegal settlements to gain electoral advantage by using Rohingyas as a vote bank.
Puri hit back with a post on X, saying, “Aam Aadmi Party continues with its politics of diversion, false narratives and half-truths. Facts and actual position on illegal Rohingya migrants were immediately clarified through a tweet on the same day which they selectively chose to ignore, and continue to do so.”
“No Rohingya migrant has been given a govt house in Delhi. In fact, contrary to the drummed-up AAP rhetoric they are actually the ones who play host to the illegal
Rohingyas in Delhi, have settled them in large numbers, give them electricity and water, and even pay them `10,000,” he alleged.
Last week, the LG Secretariat directed the chief secretary and police commissioner to launch a special drive to identify and take strict action against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants residing in the national capital.