Just two months ahead of the Delhi assembly elections, both the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party are set for another showdown with Chief Minister Atishi shooting a stinging letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the illegal Rohingya migrants in the national capital.
Atishi in her letter accused the Centre of settling "a large number of illegal Rohingyas" in different parts of the city, an allegation that drew sharp reaction from Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
Atishi claimed that a tweet Puri had put out on August 17, 2022 showed that the settling of illegal Rohingyas in Delhi was a 'conscious decision and policy' of the BJP government.
"From the post of Puri, it seems they were settled into EWS (Economically Backward Class) 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," Atishi said.
The chief minister alleged that these migrants would not just cause law-and-order problems for Delhiites, but also "take away their jobs" and strain the city's limited resources.
“If this situation continues, is our country in a position to handle such a large number of refugees? The answer is NO. Then why is the BJP government not doing anything to stop this illegal migration?" she asked.
Atishi also demanded that the Centre provide a complete list of Rohingyas settled in Delhi and emphasised that no illegal refugees should be settled in the city in future without consulting the Delhi government.
Puri hit back at her letter, saying the 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,” he said.
Clarifying that no Rohingya migrant has been given a government house in Delhi, Puri alleged that it was the AAP government which settled these refugees in large numbers, gave them electricity and water, and even paid them Rs 10,000.