AAP 'patronising' illegal Rohingyas, Bangladeshis in Delhi, alleges BJP; AAP hits back

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New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) With only two days to go for voting in the Delhi Assembly polls, the BJP accused the AAP on Monday of "patronising" illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants in the capital, and claimed that this is causing a "demographic manipulation" and affecting the electoral process.

At a press conference here, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra cited a study conducted by researchers at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to claim that migrant workers from Purvanchal and other states are getting edged out by Rohingya and Bangladeshi "infiltrators" in low-paying jobs in Delhi.

"The earnings that should have gone to our brothers and sisters from Purvanchal and other states are now being redirected to Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants. There is no documentation of this. Behind all this is political protection, particularly from the AAP and Congress. By creating fake voter identities, they are manipulating our electoral system," Patra alleged.

Reacting to the BJP leader's remarks, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in a statement said Patra's claims prove that Amit Shah has been "disastrous" as the Union home minister and has "failed" to control infiltrators in the country.

Citing the 114-page study, Patra claimed that the influx of Bangladeshi infiltrators and Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar has led to a "demographic shift" in Delhi.

"The report cited political patronage by some parties to these infiltrators. The AAP has a crucial role in protecting them and facilitating fake voter registration," he said, citing the report prepared by Professor Manuradha Chaudhary and others.

The report claims that an informal network of brokers and religious preachers also plays a role in facilitating the influx of infiltrators and providing them with fake documents, the BJP leader said.

The infiltrators are also pushing the crime rate up and the electoral process is being destroyed through this "demographic manipulation", he claimed.

The research report mentions areas in Delhi, such as Seelampur, Jamia Nagar, Zakir Nagar, Sultanpuri, Mustafabad, Jafrabad, Dwarka and Gokulpuri, as being affected with the influx of infiltrators, Patra said.

The AAP hit back at the BJP, saying there can only be two reasons behind the alleged influx of infiltrators -- either Shah is "deliberately" settling them here or he is "incapable" of handling the situation.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party claimed that way back on August 17, 2022, Union minister Hardeep Puri had said on X that Rohingya Muslims were staying in Delhi's Bakkarwala.

The 70-member Delhi Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on Wednesday, with the results set to be declared on February 8. While the AAP is eyeing a third straight term in power, the BJP is aiming to win the polls in the capital after a gap of more than 25 years. PTI VIT RC