‘Will women feel safe if refugees settled near their homes?’: Kejriwal attacks Shah over CAA

Amit Shah said in an interview with news agency ANI earlier in the day that Kejriwal was doing ‘vote bank politics’ by opposing Hindu refugees, and not Rohingyas

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday escalated his attack at the Centre over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and asked the government if women would feel safe if refugees settled near their homes.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal addresses a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday. (PTI Photo)

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener made the statements just moments after Union home minister Amit Shah said in an interview with news agency ANI that Kejriwal was doing ‘vote bank politics’ by opposing Hindu refugees, and not Rohingyas.

Hours later, Kejriwal addressed a press conference and reiterated that allowing refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan would be very dangerous for the country, and will snatch job opportunities for the bona fide Indian citizens.

“In his statement, home minister Amit Shah has not responded to any questions I raised (on Wednesday). He has only abused me and called me corrupt. All (state) governments in the country are unable to provide jobs to our youth, how you will give jobs and houses to large number of migrants from Pakistan, and Bangladesh who you want to allow to come into the country? First, you should give jobs to our youth. Where will the houses and other resources for them come from? We are already facing a crisis of jobs and housing... Will you accept if migrants from Pakistan are settled in jhuggis close to your home? Will women in your family feel safe? Will you feel safe among them?,” Kejriwal said on Thursday.

The Centre on Monday notified rules for the implementation of the CAA, four years after the Parliament passed the contentious law in 2019 to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.

In an interview with ANI, Shah slammed Kejriwal over his CAA remarks and said the Delhi CM’s outburst stemmed from his party’s alleged exposure in corruption cases and claimed that it is because of ‘vote bank politics’ that Kejriwal does not protest against Rohingyas.

“All Rohingyas came after 2014. How did they come? Did they come due to your failure or due to your complicity? The opening of the doors for migrants is very dangerous for the country and we cannot imagine the number of migrants who are going to come to India,” Kejriwal said, adding that the migration under CAA will be bigger than that of 1947 during Partition.

“This migration is going to be bigger than what happened during Independence. Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan – all these countries have said that they will allow minorities living in their countries to go to India. Around 30 millionminorities live in these countries. Even if 15 million people come to India, where we they be settled? The home minister has not answered this question that I raised. He said those who have come before 2014 will be settled. Has the migration into India (from these countries) stopped after 2014? Even today migrants continue to come. Earlier the illegal migrants were scared. Now, CAA has legalised migration. Next, you will extend the cutoff date from 2014 to 2024,” Kejriwal said.

A group of Hindu refugees from Pakistan who live in Delhi protested near the Delhi CM’s residence in Civil Lines on Thursday over his controversial remarks.

Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari hit out at Kejriwal over his remarks and said, “CM Arvind Kejriwal, why do you hate people from Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist and Jain communities? Those who are almost extinct in other countries and have come to India fed up with atrocities, should they not get citizenship? They also have the right to live life. Arvind Kejriwal is a machine of lies and is trying to provoke society by telling lies,” Tiwari said.

“It is unacceptable to the country that Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are brought and settled in the country,” Kejriwal added.