Varun Gandhi, BJP MP, found himself at variance with the Centre’s stance on the issue of Rohingya, after an article by him in a Hindi daily asked for “empathy” and a “clear demarcation” on who could be given asylum in India.
Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir reacted sharply to the article saying, “Anyone who has national interest in mind, won’t make such statements.”
The BJP and the Union government have repeatedly flagged security concerns over the 40,000 Rohingya already in India and a growing refugee crisis out of Myanmar.
Tough stance
The BJP’s national executive on Monday had referred to the Rohingya issue under the heading “Primacy of sensibility in international diplomacy”, stating that “the government duly fulfilled its responsibilities when it provided humanitarian relief to Bangladesh for the Rohingya refugees while ensuring that internal security was not compromised for its 125 crore citizens.”
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Gandhi, who had earlier also toed a line different from the party’s on various issues, repeated his tweets on Mr. Ahir’s reactions.
Call for policy
“My recent piece focussed primarily on defining India’s asylum policy, with clear demarcations on how we would accept refugees. As for the Rohingya, I’ve called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns,” he said.
While flagging a vetting process, Mr. Gandhi’s article is at variance with the Union government’s view that termed the Rohingya “illegal” immigrants.
In an affidavit in the Supreme Court, the government had said that there were serious concerns over national security.