Arun Jaitley defends Centre's Rohingya stand, says every country has right to decide its security policy

The government, it its affidavit in the Supreme Court, has said that some of the Rohingyas with militant background were found to be very active in Jammu, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mewat.

IndiaToday.in  | Edited by Shashank Shantanu
New Delhi, September 19, 2017 | UPDATED 15:29 IST

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today backed the government's move to deport all Rohingya Muslims living illegally in the country even as thousands of refugees from Myanmar are seeking shelter in Bangladesh and India.

Talking to reporters in Delhi, Sumitra Mahajan said India was not prepared to take the burden of giving refuge to thousands of Rohingyas.

"Rohingya Muslims ke baare mein aap jaante hi hain. Kya aap unka bhaar utha sakte hain? (You know about Rohingya Muslims. Can you allow them a shelter?)" Mahajan said pointing towards the government's stand that they pose a serious security risk.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

  1. Lok Sabha Speaker favoured government's stand to not allow Rohingyas living illegally in India to stay back.
  2. In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court in response to petitions that have challenged the deportation of Rohingyas, the home ministry said several fundamental rights of genuine citizens of the country will be affected if such illegal migrants are allowed to settle wherever they liked in India.
  3. "Every country will decide its course of action based on its own foreign, security policy and balance of population," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.
  4. Union Minister Giriraj Singh too echoed the views of Sumitra Mahajan. Singh, who was included in the Modi Cabinet recently, said the government's stand over the issue is clear. "We will not allow the refugees to disturb the peace in our country," Giriraj Singh said.
  5. Clarifying its stand over the humanitarian crisis, India told the United Nations that the country has extended humanitarian release to Bangladesh government to support it to meet refugees' needs.
  6. "India recently agreed with Myanmar to provide financial and technical assistance to identify projects to undertake in Rakhine ...specifically those agreements to undertake infrastructure and socio-economic projects," Rajiv K Chander, India's permanent representative to UN.
  7. In her first address to the nation ever since the crisis began unfolding in late August, Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's de facto leader, today said her government does not fear "international scrutiny" of the Rohingya crisis, and that she condemned all rights violations.
  8. "We want to find out why this exodus is happening. We would like to talk to those who have fled as well as those who have stayed. I think it is very little known a great majority of Muslims in the Rakhine state have not joined the exodus," Suu Kyi said.
  9. Suu Kyi also invited members of the international community to visit Rohingya villages, and said a central committee had been constituted to enforce the rule of law and spur development in the violence-hit Rakhine.
  10. Tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have left Buddhist-majority Myanmar since August 25, fleeing a military response to deadly attacks by Rohingya insurgents on police posts and an army camp.

WATCH: The Rohingya crisis: Humanity vs national security