Centre to "secretly" settle Rohingyas in Delhi: Sisodia

New Delhi: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday alleged that the Union government was "secretly" trying to give "permanent residence" to Rohingya refugees in the national capital. He was responding to the Union home ministry's claim that the Delhi government made such a proposal, PTI.

He said that the BJP-led Centre decided to move Rohingyas to EWS category flats in the city and called it an achievement. But later, it started blaming the Delhi government when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) opposed it.

According to Sisodia, the Delhi police and some officials decided to accommodate Rohingyas permanently in the city on the instructions of Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, with the Centre's knowledge. The proposal was directly sent to the Lt, Governor, without the knowledge of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he said.

He said that the UT administration would not let Rohingyas illegally settle in Delhi.

Sisodia tweeted, "At the behest of the central government and on the instruction of the L-G, the officers and the police took the decision (to shift Rohingyas), and it (the proposal) was being sent to L-G for his approval, without bringing it to the knowledge of the chief minister and home minister of Delhi."

"The Delhi government will not let this conspiracy to illegally settle Rohingyas in Delhi succeed."

A political row erupted after Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, said Rohingya refugees will be shifted to apartments in Bakkarwala in outer Delhi and will also be provided basic amenities and police protection.

EWS (economically weaker section) flats have been constructed by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and are located in the Bakkarwala area near the Tikri border.

"India has always welcomed those who have sought refuge in the country. In a landmark decision, all Rohingya Refugees will be shifted to EWS flats in the Bakkarwala area of Delhi. They will be provided basic amenities, UNHCR IDs & round-the-clock Delhi Police protection," Mr Puri tweeted.

The minister also hit out at those who had criticised the country's refugee policy and said that such people would be disappointed with the move.

"Those who made a career out of spreading canards on India's refugee policy deliberately linking it to CAA will be disappointed. India respects & follows UN Refugee Convention 1951 & provides refuge to all, regardless of their race, religion or creed," Puri said in another tweet

The ruling AAP in Delhi slammed the Centre over the move and termed the shifting of Rohingyas a "big threat" to national security and Delhiites, saying it will not allow it to happen at any cost.

"With the minister's announcement, the BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi stands exposed today... This poses a big threat to the national security and to the Delhiites as well," AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said in a press conference, reacting to Puri's tweets.

"We, the countrymen and Delhiites, at least, will not let them settle down here at any cost. No matter what the central government does, we will not let the government allocate flats to them," he said.

Bhardwaj said the prime minister might consider settling the refugees down in any of the BJP-ruled states if he wants.

"Give EWS flats, bungalows or whatever you want. We won't allow allocation of flats to them in Delhi at all," he added.