What about undocumented Indians living abroad: Manish Tewari on BJP’s ‘Rohingya threat to nation’ comment

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New
Delhi,
Aug
18:
Citing
a
media
article
that
quoted
a
BJP
leader
saying
“Rohingya
are
a
threat
to
national
security,”
Congress
MP
Manish
Tewari
asked,
if
Rohingyas
are
a
threat
to
India,
then
“what
about
thousands
of
undocumented
Indians
floating
around
developed
nations.”

Taking
to
micro-blogging
site
Twitter,
the
Congress
leader
wrote,”If
all
illegal
immigrants
are
a
threat
to
any
nation’s
security
then
what
about
thousands
of
undocumented
Indians
floating
around
US,
Europe
and
other
developed
nations?
Tragedy
of
Rohingya
people
is
heart-rendering.
They
are
fleeing
persecution,
rape
and
genocide.”

Addressing
a
press
conference
at
the
BJP
headquarters,
party’s
national
spokesperson
Gaurav
Bhatia
described
Rohingyas
as
a
“threat
to
national
security”
and
said,
“Arvind
Kejriwal
is
doing
the
politics
of
appeasement
keeping
the
national
security
at
bay.”

No
decision
to
provide
EWS
flats
to
Rohingya
illegal
migrants
in
Delhi:
MHA

Bhatia
further
asked
why
was
it
that
in
the
meeting
held
on
July
29,
chaired
by
the
chief
secretary
of
Delhi,
“a
hasty
decision
was
taken
that
all
these
infiltrators
would
be
shifted
to
the
houses
being
built
for
EWS.”
He
said
there
were
news
reports
in
which
the
facts
were
“meant
to
mislead
the
public.
The
Ministry
of
Home
Affairs
has
clarified
that.”

He
further
said
“the
law
of
our
country
says
that
Rohingyas
will
be
deported
and
this
jurisdiction
lies
with
the
Ministry
of
Home
Affairs.”
The
Modi
government
has
a
clear
policy
that
there
will
be
no
compromise
on
national
security,
he
said.

Facing
flak
over
the
Rohingya
issue,
the
BJP
on
Wednesday
asserted
that
the
illegal
migrants
are
a
“threat”
to
national
security
and
that
the
Modi
government
will
never
compromise
on
the
issue.

The
BJP’s
reaction
came
after
Aam
Aadmi
Party
(AAP)
on
Wednesday
hit
out
at
the
Centre
over
Union
Minister
for
Housing
and
Urban
Affairs
Hardeep
Singh
Puri’s
tweet
that
Rohingya
refugees
will
be
shifted
to
apartments
in
the
city.

‘Correct
position’:
Hardeep
Puri
after
MHA
rebuttal
on
Centre’s
Rohingya
plan

Puri
put
out
a
tweet
saying
India
has
always
welcomed
those
who
have
sought
refuge
in
the
country
and
all
Rohingya
refugees
would
be
shifted
to
EWS
flats
in
the
east
Delhi’s
Bakkarwala
area.

Thereafter,
the
Union
Home
Ministry
issued
a
clarification
denying
any
move
to
shift
Rohingya
Muslims
in
Delhi
to
economically
weaker
section
(EWS)
flats
and
directed
the
Delhi
government
to
ensure
the
“illegal
foreigners”
remain
in
detention
centres
pending
their
extradition.