Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia has written a letter on August 18, 2022, to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Sisodia has asked Shah in the letter to clarify the issue of allocating EWS flats to Rohingya Muslims in Delhi. Sisodia has also requested the Union Home Minister to find out who was “orchestrating the whole thing” if both the state government of Delhi and the Centre were not aware of any rehabilitation program for Rohingyas in Delhi.
The Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi said:
I have written to the Union Home Minister. I have requested him to make the Centre’s stand on the issue clear and probe who these decisions were being taken at the behest. If the Centre as well as the Delhi government were kept out of the loop, who was taking these calls?
Sisodia alleged that the entire incident has exposed the conspiracy of the Centre to settle Rohingyas in the national capital. He said:
I saw the news in a paper. After that, I saw Union Minister Hardeep Puri’s tweet taking credit for the move. Then when the issue was raised in the media, the BJP went on the back foot. Meanwhile, I spoke to officials. I was surprised that this decision was taken. I did not know neither did the CM. I am the Home minister of Delhi.
He further added:
The MHA later come out with a clarification on its stand. If the MHA did not decide this but the Housing Minister Hardeep Puri is lauding the decision if senior Delhi Police and government officers are holding meetings but the elected government is not being kept in the loop, who is orchestrating this whole thing?
Terming the Rohingyas living in India as encroachers, the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi said:
Rohingya and illegal occupants who are living in the country violating the rules of the country, have to be dealt with by the Centre.
On August 17, 2022, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri informed on Twitter that Rohingyas will be shifted to EWS flats in the Bakkarwala area of Delhi. Puri had also said that Rohingyas will be provided basic amenities, UNHCR IDs, and police protection. The Union Ministry for Home Affairs had later backtracked on this.
