National News

Calling Out The Xenophobia And Hate Spewed By Arvind Kejriwal Against Persecuted Hindu Refugees

March 15, 2024
The Commune

Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi and party chief of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)  has been engaging in serious of disparaging comments against Hindu and Sikh refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who are seeking asylum. He has been continuously labeling them as ‘Pakistanis’, ‘infiltrators’, ‘harassers’, ‘thieves’, and perpetrators of sexual assault.

This controversy arises against the backdrop of Kejriwal’s opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which officially came into effect on 11 March 2024. With Kejriwal issuing a press statement that, “There are approximately 2.5-3 crore people put together who are minorities in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. These are poor countries. Out of these 2.5-3 crore people, if even 1-1.5 crore people come to India, where will we settle them? How will we give them jobs? The jobs meant for our people will go to them. The whole law & order situation will crumble. There will be a rise in cases of robberies, rapes. There will be riots all around. What will happen to the security situation in the country?”

 

In response, Hindu and Sikh refugees staged a protest near Kejriwal’s residence, demanding an apology for his remarks against the implementation of the CAA. Following the protest, the Delhi CM responded by labeling the protesters as “Pakistanis” on his official social media account, and accused both the BJP and Delhi police of supporting them, thereby betraying India. Subsequently, he postulated a theory suggesting that these refugees, upon arrival, would disperse across the nation, potentially causing disturbance and inconvenience among citizens. With the BJP convert them as a Vote bank.

Kejriwal stated, “Today some Pakistanis demonstrated and created ruckus in front of my house. Delhi Police gave him full respect and protection. BJP fully supported him. Have they got so much courage that they are asking the CM elected by the people of Delhi with an overwhelming majority to enter our country and apologise? And BJP is supporting them? While hating me, BJP stood with Pakistanis and started betraying India? After this CAA, these Pakistanis will spread all over the country and will harass and create ruckus among the people of our own country. BJP wants to make them its vote bank.”

 

The following day, he continued to stir controversy by criticizing, and provoking refugees via his official social media account X. “The audacity of these Pakistanis? First, they infiltrated our country illegally and broke the laws of our country. They should have been in jail. Have they got so much courage that they are protesting and creating ruckus in our country? After CAA, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis will spread across the country and harass people. In the selfish interest of making them their vote bank, BJP is pushing the entire country into trouble.” Kejriwal post read  further exacerbating tensions.

Arvind Kejriwal and his party appear to have a contrasting stance on migration. While they oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), they support the immigration of Rohingya Muslims. This perceived inconsistency in their approach, labeled as minority-centric and pseudo-secularist, has drawn significant criticism from social media users.

The Aam Aadmi Party staunchly supported addressing refugee crises, particularly advocating for the resettlement and protection of Rohingya Muslims. However, their support did not extend equally to refugees of  Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists etc who were persecuted as minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

In a widely circulated video gaining traction on social media, the spokesperson for AAP elaborates on the party’s position regarding Rohingya crisis that, “Rohingyas are refugees, the responsibility of settling refugees lies with the government, to give them place is the responsibility of central governmnet , if the central government gives them place, they will leave from here. we have not settled them there , how they are living in slums, in heat they dont have anything to eat , its just a matter of humanity.”.

When questioned about the admission of CAA refugees, specifically those from religiously persecuted minorities, into India, AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal raised concerns regarding their integration. He queried, “Who will provide them with employment opportunities? Where will they be accommodated? How will housing be arranged for them? Will they be settled in Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat, Assam, Tripura, or elsewhere?”

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