Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 | AAP MLA under scrutiny over Rohingya registration, BJP slams party's 'silence'

New Delhi: The BJP on Sunday hit out at AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, questioning his "silence" over the alleged links of his party MLA Mohinder Goyal to a syndicate facilitating Aadhar and Voter ID cards to illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Delhi.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, BJP leader Smriti Irani claimed that the investigation agency had found signatures and seals of AAP MLAs Mohinder Goyal and Jai Bhagwan on Aadhar update forms for 26 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the city.

She claimed that the probe agencies served notices on Goyal and his office staff in connection with the case, but they had yet to join the investigation.

"The question that arises is this: When there is a challenge with regards to national security in the capital, why is the AAP leadership quiet and not directing its MLA to join the investigation immediately so that the complete truth can come to the fore," Irani said.

She also asked, "Is Arvind Kejriwal positioned to compromise our national security to support procurement of fake Voter IDs only so that he can claim political victory of some sort." The Aam Aadmi Party in response blamed Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the influx of illegal immigrants.

AAP Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar alleged that it was Shah's failure that Rohingyas settled across Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and the rest of the country.

She called for Shah's indictment in a case of "treason" and arrest of Hardeep Puri, a former Union urban development minister, for "making Rohingyas settle in Delhi." Kakkar said BJP's accusations were a reflection of the party's premonition of an imminent defeat in upcoming polls in Delhi.

Goyal came under scrutiny after police issued notices to him on Saturday and Sunday regarding alleged involvement with a syndicate of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, an official said.

The Rithala MLA was summoned for questioning after documents seized from the immigrants reportedly bore his signature and seal, police said.

Irani, a former Union minister, termed the case "a matter of national security." Though the issue has been "prominently discussed across Indian media," it has met with an "abject silence" by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), she said "Any political leader would not remain silent if he is really committed to the issues of national security. A leader committed to national security would himself demand expulsion of the leader and his office staff from the party if they are involved in such forgery," she said.

People of the country will believe that Kejriwal is actually committed to national security and national interest only if he comes forth and makes such leaders of his party face the law, she added, without taking the name of the former Delhi chief minister.

Irani said the case was registered at Sangam Vihar Police Station last month and an investigation was taken up into "fake" PAN cards and voting cards procured by illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

"Upon investigation, it was found that a shop in Sector 5 Rohini was operating an ecosystem wherein fake Aadhar cards could be prepared. The owner of the shop, upon investigation, confirmed that one Afroz helped in ensuring that fake Aadhar cards were made based on fake birth certificates," she claimed.

Upon analysis of laptop data by the Forensic Science Lab, it was found that 26 Aadhar update forms had the signatures and seals of two AAP MLAs, Mohinder Goyal from the Rithala Assembly seat and Jai Bhagwan from the Bawana Assembly seat, she added "Fifteen people upon investigation have confirmed that on their Aadhar update forms, MLA Mohindar Goyal's signature and seal was put, according to Indian media. Ten individuals have confirmed during investigation that they went to the office of Mohinder Goyal and in cahoots with his office staff they procured the AAP MLA's signature and seal," Irani said.

"I believe investigation agencies have served notices twice to the AAP MLA Mohinder Goyal and his staff. They have been met by deafening silence and both the AAP MLA and staff member have not joined the investigation," she said Irani alleged that the AAP leaders have been "vocal and abrasive" on "inane issues," but it is only in this case they are silent.

"Their silence is deafening. The collusion now is obvious," she added.