- Tuesday, March 18, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
India’s Narendra Modi government on Wednesday (17) caught flak from supporters of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after its housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced on Twitter that New Delhi respects and follows the United Nations Refugee Convention of 1951 and would be providing accommodation, United Nations identity documents and round-the-clock protection to 1,100 Rohingya refugees, a persecuted Muslim group from the neighbouring country of Myanmar.
“India has always welcomed those who have sought refuge in the country. In a landmark decision all #Rohingya#Refugees will be shifted to EWS flats in Bakkarwala area of Delhi. They will be provided basic amenities, UNHCR IDs & round-the-clock @DelhiPolice protection,” Puri tweeted.
India has always welcomed those who have sought refuge in the country. In a landmark decision all #Rohingya #Refugees will be shifted to EWS flats in Bakkarwala area of Delhi. They will be provided basic amenities, UNHCR IDs & round-the-clock @DelhiPolice protection. @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/E5ShkHOxqE
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) August 17, 2022
Those who made a career out of spreading canards on India’s refugee policy deliberately linking it to #CAA will be disappointed.
India respects & follows @UN Refugee Convention 1951 & provides refuge to all, regardless of their race, religion or creed.@MIB_India @NBirenSingh pic.twitter.com/6jyMl9dJ7Q
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) August 17, 2022
EWS refers to Economically Weaker Sections.
He also said on the social media platform, “Those who made a career out of spreading canards on India’s refugee policy deliberately linking it to #CAA will be disappointed. India respects & follows @UN Refugee Convention 1951 & provides refuge to all, regardless of their race, religion or creed.”
CAA stands for Citizenship Amendment Act, a controversial policy stand of the Modi government which allegedly aims to make India a Hindu Rashtra (state).
The Hindu right-wing supporters were livid with the decision.
Right-wing news portal Opindia said the minister’s tweets gave an impression that India was now ready to treat the Rohingya Muslims, who were considered as illegal immigrants, as refugees.
It also said that while Puri said that India “respects and follows UN Refugee Convention 1951” and “provides refuge to all”, New Delhi is not a signatory to the UN convention and hence not legally obligated to consider any section as “refugees”.
It also said that in 2021, Indian home minister Amit Shah said in the country’s parliament that India is not a signatory to the UN convention when he was asked by an opposition member about the refugee status of Rohingya Muslims.
“India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol thereon. All foreign nationals (including asylum seekers) are governed by the provisions contained in the Foreigners Act, 1946, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and the Citizenship Act, 1955, and rules and orders made thereunder. However, a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) was issued in 2011 by the central government and amended in 2019 which has to be followed by law enforcement agencies while dealing with foreign nationals who claim to be refugees,” Shah’s ministry had said then.
The right-wing publication said giving amenities to the Rohingyas would pose a security threat to India. It also said that the decision could dilute the Modi government’s stand on the CAA. “The only justification needed for CAA is that India is a natural home for Hindus and therefore, the state does not need to accept Muslims to accord that legislation to Hindu refugees, persecuted in Islamic nations. The government certainly does not need to force demographic change in India, tilting it towards Muslims, simply because we need to appear “secular” to the world when the world is incapable of understanding the foundation of a civilisational nation as opposed to a pure nation-state,” it said.
The right-wing Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) reacted strongly against the decision. Surendra Jain, the international joint secretary of the VHP, said in an exclusive interview with Firstpost that the Modi government’s decision to shift the Rohingyas to the EWS flats in Delhi was “unfortunate”.
“This decision has trampled the spirit of CAA,” Jain said, adding, “Who doesn’t know that Rohingyas are working with terrorists in India. Hindu refugees from Pakistan are still languishing in deplorable conditions. Those who celebrated the Azadi Ka Amritmahotsava, waving the Indian Tricolour are forced to live in shabby shanties, elements such as Rohingyas who are working with terrorists are being feted. We are against it; we are opposing it. The Centre must rethink this decision.”
In May, The Hindu reported citing an advocacy group that around 800 Pakistani Hindus, who had come to India seeking citizenship on the basis of religious persecution, returned to their country in 2021 after finding no progress in their application for Indian citizenship. The group said once they return to Pakistan, the authorities there would use them to defame India.
The status of Hindus from Pakistan who took shelter in India also came up as right-wing supporters slammed the Modi government over its latest decision over Rohingya Muslims.
However, while the right-wing Hindu supporters were livid, the liberal camp felt it was a ‘master stroke’ by the Modi government to win over Muslim hearts and votes.
Here are some reactions that poured in on Twitter over the Indian government decision to welcome and accommodate Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar:
This is it…This picture says everything….#MaulanaModi
#MasterStroke#Modi #RohingyaSarkar #Rohingyas pic.twitter.com/SJsl7PIFzy— Liberal Hunter (@liberal_hunter7) August 17, 2022
Gov't new #MasterStroke on giving EWS flats to Rohingyas Explained: #RohingyaSarkar pic.twitter.com/AevTm3DiQY
— Pranav Singh ?? (@impkrajput) August 17, 2022
This was beyond expectation!
The government is now going to spend crores on giving houses to #Rohingyas
This is BJP's #Hindutva after 8 years in power. Those who talked about Muslim Appeasement and Illegal immigrants is now becoming #RohingyaSarkar
Isse kehte h #MasterStroke pic.twitter.com/pFxCBPwbNA— Modern आचार्य ? (@modernacharya) August 17, 2022
Maybe our PM is after #NobelPeacePrize. I mean that will be a #MasterStroke for him and a slap on the face of those whose votes he took saying he will send #Rohingyas back once in power.
— Bulbul (@its_Bulbul) August 17, 2022
The Card holding political party for the Hindus has now taken a step to help #Rohingyas
The hardlined Hindu voters have been cheated by the #BJP it is an utter disgrace to the ideas of #Savarakar and the RSS.
Failed in #Kashmir and #Delhi#MasterStroke #RohingyaSarkar pic.twitter.com/M1iCoUNjBw— Modern आचार्य ? (@modernacharya) August 17, 2022
Why modi government has taking the decision of rehabilating the rohigiyas instead of how much hatred they have towards Muslims but I am sure there is something in this masterstroke which will be helpful for bjp,anyone knows about the actual reason behind it #MasterStroke pic.twitter.com/6zugBoC30U
— Saqib dar (@Saqibda67215209) August 17, 2022
Right Now Modi Govt Doing Injustice To Pakistani Hindus and Settled Myanmar #Rohingyas with Early ID who Responsible For Jahangirpuri and Other Delhi riots
Modi Ji What Happened
Are Hindus Only A vote Bank For BJP #MasterStroke Elon #MakeIndiaNo1 UNHCR #BilkisBano Bakkarwala pic.twitter.com/nj9HfLW8Yy— Ex-Muslim (@NusratJ_786) August 17, 2022
Are Rohingyas some VIPs? Hindu refugees have been living in utterly miserable conditions for years/decades. Kashmiri Pandits who are Indians have the same condition. What's unique about Rohingyas?
Waiting for IT Celliyas and BaJaPa simps to spin this as another masterstroke now. pic.twitter.com/4ELmCZN0eI
— Shri Ram Maheshwari (@maheshwarisr) August 17, 2022
Hope all of you Hindus have paid your income tax on time.
If not done, then do it immediately. There should be no shortage of funds for the government to build houses and other facilities for Rohingya.
Be a responsible secular citizen.#MasterStroke #RohingyaSarkar
??? pic.twitter.com/zPKPv24eyl— रजनीश कश्यप ?? (@Rajnish06196662) August 17, 2022
