BJP govt’s stand on Rohingya issue has exposed the gaping holes in foreign policy

When the convoy of BJP state president Dilip Ghosh was attacked at Jaygaon in Alipurduar district at the fag end of last year, the party was quick to put the blame on Rohingya refugees for the assault.

“Rohingya Muslims were behind the attack. From the video of the incident, you can identify them by their appearances… They (the attackers) are not from Bengal,” Ghosh had alleged, picking the persecuted refugee community to whip up anti-Muslim sentiment.

It is an altogether different matter that there is no recorded presence of Rohingyas, let alone a large group, in the area capable of orchestrating attack on the motorcade of one of the most protected politicians of the state.

“I have not heard of any concentration of Rohingya population in Jaygaon area,” says Kirity Roy, secretary of Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), a Bengal based organisation that works for the rights of migrants and has a strong presence in the area.