"When everything failed, they come up with lie of Rohingyas": Delhi Minister Gopal Rai

New Delhi [India], December 15 : Amid a war of words between AAP and BJP over the Rohingya issue, Delhi Minister Gopal Rai on Sunday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party raised the issue of "Rohingyas" because all their strategies to win elections have failed.
Rai further stated that such tactics would not work in Delhi elections as the people of Delhi seek a government that prioritises their welfare.
Referring to Union Minister Hardeep Puri's tweets from 2022 on the Rohingya issue, Rai questioned the BJP's inaction, asking why no steps were taken against Puri if his statements did not align with the party's policy.
"The BJP is completely confused. First, they thought they could win elections by jailing Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders. Then they resorted to spreading lies. Now, having failed in everything else, they have come up with the Rohingya issue. Hardeep Puri was Union Minister when he tweeted about this. Why did he tweet it? Why didn't the BJP take action against him if it contradicted their policy? The BJP stands completely exposed. They believe such tactics will win them elections, but these won't work in Delhi. The people of Delhi want a government that works for them, and they have seen Arvind Kejriwal doing just that," Rai told ANI.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of settling illegal Rohingya migrants in Delhi to secure their votes.
Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi responded to Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri's remarks on the Rohingya issue, accusing him of inconsistency and claiming he was either "lying earlier or lying now."
Speaking to the media, Atishi reiterated her claim that the Central government was responsible for the settlement of Rohingyas in Delhi.
"He was either lying earlier or is lying now. The Rohingyas settled in different parts of Delhi are here entirely due to the Central government. They allowed them to enter India illegally, crossing six states to reach Delhi. Once here, the Central government provided housing and facilitated their settlement. Any misuse of resources or illegal activities by these migrants is solely the responsibility of the BJP-led Central government," Atishi said.
Previously, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had accused the AAP and Chief Minister Atishi of spreading "diversionary tactics, false narratives, and half-truths" regarding the rehabilitation of Rohingyas in Delhi.
Puri maintained that the facts about illegal Rohingya migrants were clarified promptly in a tweet, which he alleged the AAP had deliberately ignored.
In a post on X, Puri wrote, "The Aam Aadmi Party continues with its politics of diversion, false narratives, and half-truths. Facts about illegal Rohingya migrants were clarified in a tweet the same day, but they have chosen to ignore it and persist with their misleading claims."
He further stated that "no Rohingya migrant" had been provided government housing in Delhi.
"The AAP government is facilitating illegal Rohingyas in Delhi," Puri alleged. "Contrary to their fabricated rhetoric, they have settled these migrants in large numbers, provided them with electricity and water, and even pay them Rs 10,000," he claimed in his tweet.
On Sunday, Atishi wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing the BJP-led Central government of settling a "large number" of "illegal Rohingya migrants" in Delhi without consulting the state government.
Citing two older posts by Puri on X, Atishi argued that the issue has persisted for years. She called on the Union government to provide the Delhi government with a complete list of Rohingyas and their addresses. Additionally, she demanded that no further rehabilitation of Rohingyas in Delhi take place without consulting the Delhi government and its residents.