AAP leaders, rather than resisting the move, issued statements which were nothing but dog-whistles against the Muslims victims calling them Bangladeshis and Rohingya

Waquar Hasan 

NEW DELHI – The role of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government in Delhi and the statements of party leaders in support of the Jahangirupuri demolitions that smacks of their apathy towards the poor victims of the arbitrary move came under fire from many quarters.

As the demolition drive began many people called on the Delhi government to oppose the move. However, the AAP leaders, rather than resisting the move, issued statements which were nothing but dog-whistles against the Muslims victims calling them Bangladeshis and Rohingya.

Talking to Clarion India, CPI-ML leader and prominent activist, Kavita Krishnan, said that the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi not only took part in the demolition drive, but also spoke in the language of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

She pointed out that the Public Works Department (PWD), which is under the Delhi government, was part of the demolition drive along with the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC). “They have not issued any statement which says the government won’t be part of the demolition drive,” said Krishnan.

She took exception to the remarks passed by the AAP leaders over the unfolding tragedy.

“They have blamed Bangladeshi and Rohingya refugees for the riots. This is a blatant lie. This is the language of the BJP. This is not just opportunism but breach of the trust people reposed in them. As a matter of fact those who live in Jahangirpuri are not Bangladeshi or Rohingya, but Bangla-speaking Muslims and Hindus,” she said.

Prominent AAP leaders including Manish Sisodia, Raghav Chaddha and Aatishi Marlena claimed that the BJP had resettled Bangladeshi immigrants and Rahingya refugees in Delhi to carry out riots in the country.

Raghva Chaddha is on record saying, “In the last eight years, the BJP has resettled Bangladeshis and Rohingya in large numbers in different parts of the country so that they could use them for carrying out riots.”

Sisodia, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and Marlena used similar rhetoric in reaction to the demolition drive.

Krishanan said that this is not the first time when the AAP raised the bogey of Bangladeshis. They have been doing so ever since they entered into politics area. In 2014 when the AAP formed the government for the first time in Delhi, they showed their achievement as identifying the Bangladeshi.

There were others too who denounced the statements made by the AAP leaders referring to the victims of the demolitions as Bangladeshis and Rohingya.

An activist and journalist, Pratik Sinha, said, “Every prominent AAP leader is using dog-whistle of Bangladeshis’ and ‘Rohingyas in their choreographed statements as if the Bangladeshis and the Rohingya belong to a sub-human category, shameful utterances!!!”

Reacting to AAP leaders’ statements, journalist Alishan Jafri said that the party is declaring illegal those who voted for it.

“People, who voted for AAP, have been termed as illegal by AAP. This Bangladeshi and Rohingya dog whistle is more dangerous than the BJP. AAP has totally whitewashed the role of RW extremists and normalized violence on Muslim bodies by the state and mobs amongst the fence sitters,” said Jafri.