What played behind the Rohingyas' rehabilitation controversy 

New Delhi: A story on Rohingya refugees published by ANI heated up Delhi’s political temperature further after Union minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri fell prey to it on Wednesday.

Puri was seen jumping the gun and trying to collect some brownie points from the Modi government without realising his tweet goes against basic tenets of the BJP against illegal migrants, especially Rohingyas.

Puri faced the heat from his own party supporters who started asking for his removal from the government and the Ministry of Home Affairs was forced to clarify how it had reprimanded Arvind Kejriwal's government on the proposal to rehabilitate the Rohingyas.

Delhi government knew the MHA’s position and Aam Aadmi Party took advantage of the goof-up made by Puri. AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj attacked Puri and the Modi government even before MHA clarified.

Later in the evening, the BJP came up with a letter from the Delhi government written on June 23, 2021, where he proposed to shift the Rohingyas to the EWS flats in Bakarwala Village.

However, the BJP forgot that the letter by the Delhi government refers to a report by Foreigners Regional Regn. Officer (FRRO), which had said it was unable to accommodate the Rohingyas to the earmarked localities.

FRRO comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs which, according to the Delhi government’s letter, had requested to allot the Baraat Ghar along with all EWS flats, Bakarwala Village Delhi, to accommodate the foreign inmates, along with basic minimum facilities.

Read the letter shared by BJP MP Gautam Gambhir:

How did it all start?

The entire controversy stemmed from the ANI story which the readers found ambiguous and the BJP called misleading.

The story says, “In the meeting that was held during the last week of July, it was emphasised that the Delhi government was bearing around Rs 7 lakh per month rent for the tents where Rohingyas were shifted in the Madanpur Khadar area after a fire incident happened in the camp where they were living.”

Here the story suggests that the entire initiative was led by the Arvind Kejriwal government.

The story then quotes a senior official without revealing whether the official was from the central government or the Delhi government.

More ambiguity in the story stems from the next paragraph where it suggests the central government’s hand. It says, “Delhi Police were instructed to provide security to the premises where these flats are located and the social welfare department of the Delhi government had been ordered to ensure basic facilities like a fan, three times meals, landline phone, television and recreational facilities in the new campus.”

Further, the story says the Delhi government has been ordered to quip the flat with basic amenities and hand it out over to Foreign Regional Registration Offices which will felicitate the shifting of Rohingya into these flats.

After all the political drama, there is still no clarification from ANI.

Truth?

On Thursday, Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia said his government did not take any decision to shift Rohingya Muslims to flats. Acknowledging that the Centre also denied it, Sisodia demanded strict action against those behind the decision.

While the truth will come out only after a detailed investigation by MHA and the central government, prima facie the proposal was moved and persuaded by the Delhi government on FRRO’s report which was later rejected by the Home Ministry.

The entire exercise appears to have been carried out by the officials of the Delhi government and FRRO. Needless to say that the matter also shows a clear gap among the different ministries of the central government. And perhaps, a gap between the top leadership and their officials.