BJP turns to Centre on Rohingyas’ issue

JAMMU: As the Jammu-based political parties and social groups have stepped up attack on the BJP for its “duplicity” in deporting Rohingyas and Bangladeshis from the region, party leaders have sought help from the Centre to take back these refugees from Jammu and settle them in other parts of the country.

Activists of the Dogra Front protest against Rohingyas and Bangladeshis residing in Jammu. Tribune file Photo

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 22

As the Jammu-based political parties and social groups have stepped up attack on the BJP for its “duplicity” in deporting Rohingyas and Bangladeshis from the region, party leaders have sought help from the Centre to take back these refugees from Jammu and settle them in other parts of the country.

Realising that the issue had a potential to snowball into a big controversy, the BJP has asked its central leaders to take it up with external affairs and home ministries to shift these refugees from Jammu.

Highly placed sources in the BJP said party’s national vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna on Monday discussed issues confronting the state with local leaders who vociferously raked up the issue of Rohingyas before the high command’s envoy so as to rescue them from the attack of other parties.

“State leaders told Khanna that Jammu-based political and social groups had pushed the party to the wall on the issue of Rohingya refugees so it was high time for the Centre to resolve the issue once for all,” a senior party leader, who was present in the meeting, told The Tribune. The leader, who wished not to be quoted, said the leaders made it clear to Khanna that it was difficult for them to counter the attack by shifting the blame on the Congress or the NC. “The Centre is responsible for sending Rohingyas to Jammu,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Congress today challenged the BJP to deport Rohingyas from Jammu. “BJP leaders are blaming the Congress for settling Rohingyas in Jammu but now the ball is in the saffron party’s court,” said Congress spokesman Ravinder Sharma. “For the last two and a half years, the BJP is ruling at the Centre and for the last two years saffron party is enjoying power in J&K also,” he said, adding, “If the BJP thinks that the Congress committed a mistake then why the BJP has failed to rectify it even after over two years,” Sharma asked.

Panthers Party leader Harsh Dev Singh also accused the BJP of “duplicity” on the Rohingyas issue. “These self-proclaimed champions of Jammu stand exposed and would be taught a befitting lesson by the people for causing irreparable damage to the Dogra culture and ethos,” he said.