Chief Minister Atishi on Sunday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing the Centre of settling a large number of illegal Rohingyas in different parts of the national capital.

In the letter, she accused the BJP-led central government of relocating a large number of illegal Rohingya migrants to Delhi without informing the Delhi government or its citizens.

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Citing Union Minister Hardeep Puri’s tweets from 2022, Atishi claimed that the settlement of Rohingya refugees in Delhi was a deliberate and well-planned decision by the central government. In his tweets, Puri had stated that Rohingya refugees would be relocated to EWS flats in Delhi’s Bakkarwala area and provided with essential amenities, UNHCR IDs, and 24/7 Delhi Police protection.

Atishi alleged that these flats were originally meant for Delhi’s underprivileged residents but were instead allocated to Rohingya migrants, effectively depriving the city’s poor of their rightful resources.

The CM expressed concern that the presence of Rohingya refugees could create law and order issues, strain Delhi’s limited resources, and take away employment opportunities from local residents. She called this move an injustice to Delhi’s citizens and accused the Centre of compromising their rights for the sake of these refugees.

In the letter, she also questioned how these migrants managed to cross the Indo-Bangladesh border and travel thousands of kilometres to the national capital without being detected. Atishi referred to a recent report that highlighted how thousands of people cross the Indo-Bangladesh border daily without any hindrance, pointing to a serious lapse in the BJP government’s border security measures demanding clarity on whether the central government systematically transported these migrants to various parts of the country, including Delhi.

Atishi asked the Union government for detailed information on the number of Rohingyas settled in Delhi, their specific locations, and the reasons for keeping the Delhi government and its citizens in the dark about such a significant decision. She also criticized the BJP-appointed Lieutenant Governor for ordering a door-to-door survey to identify Rohingya refugees, even though they were allegedly settled by the BJP-led central government itself.

In her letter, Atishi stressed that Delhi is already grappling with resource constraints and cannot handle the additional burden of illegal refugees. She demanded that no further settlements of illegal migrants be made in Delhi without prior consultation with the Delhi government and its citizens. She also urged the central government to ensure that Delhi’s resources and rights are safeguarded.

The issue has reignited political tensions between the Delhi government and the Centre, with Atishi accusing the BJP government of failing to protect India’s borders and compromising the welfare of its citizens for political motives. This development is expected to further intensify the ongoing tussle between the two governments.

Meanwhile In response to media questions about Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that monitoring the Indo-Bangladesh border is the responsibility of state governments, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said, “I have not heard Amit Shah’s statement. But, I sincerely hope that no responsible Union Home Minister would make such a statement that securing the borders of the country is a state government’s responsibility.”

He added, “If the Union Home Minister is indeed suggesting that the responsibility of securing unfenced borders lies with state governments, it is an alarming abdication of duty. The infiltration issue at the India-Bangladesh border, spanning approximately 4,000 kilometers, of which 1,000 kilometers remain unfenced, requires the central government’s urgent attention and action.”