Rohingyas are illegal migrants not refugees : Rajnath

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi :Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on September 21, 2017, said that in Indian culture, the focus has always been on duties not on rights. If everybody attends to his duties, the rights of all will automatically get protected, he said addressing a national seminar organized by the National Human Rights Commission(NHRC) on `Good Governance, Development and Human Rights’ at Teen Murti Bhawan, New Delhi.

Rajnath said that the concept of human rights in the centuries old Indian ethos is rooted in peace unlike the west where it shaped up with conflict post the world war-II. The concept of protection of human rights in India is linked with the wellbeing of the whole universe.

With a reference to the issue of governance, Rajnath said that any sovereign nation is free to take action against illegal migrants. He said that the issue of deportation of Rohingyas for India is not a matter of ego and confrontation but of principles. Those who, in the name of human rights, are expressing concern over the rights of others should bother first for the rights of the citizens of India.  The citizens of the country have the first right on its resources not the illegal migrants. Rohingyas are illegal migrants not refugees for which a process is required to be completed, which they never followed, Rajnath said, according to an NHRC release.

He said that India is not a signatory to international laws on refugees nor to the UN Refugee Convention 1951, hence, the question of its violation does not arise. The principle of non-refoulement would apply to Rohingyas only if, they were given asylum in India. He said that the government is very clear on the issue and to this effect has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court. In spite of all this, the Union Home Minister said, the government of India has extended aid to Bangladesh for the welfare of Rohingyas there. He described both Bangladesh and Myanmar as friendly countries and said that the Counsellor of Myanmar, Ms Aung San Suu Kyi has raised a ray of hope by saying that her country is prepared to take back Rohingyas, according to the NHRC release.

The Union Home Minister said that good governance, development and human rights are an inseparable trio and the government is committed to them. Describing the seminar organized by the NHRC as very relevant, Rajnath said that development without bringing dignity to human life would be meaningless. He said that the government’s Ujjwala scheme to provide cooking gas cylinders to the five crore household is one such scheme. He listed several measures and schemes introduced by the government during the last three years, which are aimed at over all welfare of people by bringing transparency and accountability in its initiatives so that benefits of welfare schemes reached to the real beneficiaries.

Earlier, inaugurating the seminar,  Justice H L Dattu, Chairperson, NHRC said that the universality of human rights, their focus on human dignity and their concern for accountability make them uniquely appropriate for reshaping notions of development, cooperation, good governance and combating discrimination and exclusion to reach the goal of achieving a society where ‘human rights for all’ becomes a reality. He said that for any country to find its due place among civilized nations, the most important factors are: eradication of poverty and provision of healthcare, education, and equitable life opportunities to all without distinction. Unfortunately, even after more than half a century of independence, our country stands only at the fringe on all these counts. Justice Dattu said that there is a need to bring together politics, economics and culture in a more symbiotic relationship.