After leak, Rajnath elusive on Rohingya

Supreme Court to hear on Monday plea challenging the government’s decision

Home Minister Rajnath Singh yesterday said the government will inform the Supreme Court of its stand on the Rohingya refugees on September 18, and refused any further comments on the issue.

Asked about the politics over the Rohingya, the Home Minister said: “Whatever affidavit we have to file, we will file on September 18.”

The Supreme Court has fixed Monday for hearing of a plea challenging the government’s decision to deport illegal Rohingya Muslim immigrants back to Myanmar.

Several Union Ministers, as well as Ministers in the Assam government, have in the past said that the Rohingyas are illegal immigrants in India and will have to leave the country.

An affidavit on the issue, which the government later said was just a draft and being worked on, was leaked after it was inadvertently served on the counsel for petitioner Mohammad Salimullah.

In the draft affidavit, the Centre said there were “contemporaneous inputs” received by it that indicated links of some of the unauthorised Rohingya immigrants with Pakistan- and Bangladesh-based terror organisations.

The Centre also said that it was found that there were organised network of agents and touts facilitating illegal migration of Rohingyas in India.

“The continuity of Rohingya immigration and their continued stay in India, apart from being illegal, has serious national security ramification,” said the draft.

Describing the influx of Rohingya refugees into India as “very serious”, the Congress on Friday demanded that the central government involve all parties to formulate a policy on the matter.

“This is a very serious matter. In the interest of the nation, all political parties should come together to take a decision on this.

“The government should invite representatives of all parties and lay down a policy. Since the country’s interests as well as decisions with long-term effects are involved, we want the policy be formulated by all the parties,” Congress Spokesperson Ajay Maken said here.

“It should not be a policy of one party,” he added.