In an unusual intervention in the ongoing spar between the Centre and the Rajasthan government over illegal Bangladeshi migrants, Rajasthan Governor and former Foreign Secretary S K Singh today chose to “recall” his past to make the point of how his political bosses were seeking to help these immigrants. He even took a swipe at what he called the state’s “ideology” playing a role in the crackdown against migrants.

“In 1990, before I resigned from the Foreign Office, V P Singh had told Bangladeshi immigrants (in Yamuna Pushta) in my presence that he will get them all ration cards. How could bureaucrats refuse to give them that? He said he (VP Singh) will get them voters’ ID cards if they had become Indian citizens,” Singh told The Indian Express on phone tonight.

Singh, who is the father of Rahul Gandhi’s close aide Kanishka Singh, also said: “There are human rights and there are ideologies but that is not important. What is important right now is that people who are suffering should be looked after.”

Earlier in the evening, Singh participated in a discussion on NDTV 24 X 7. Asked whether he thought the campaign against illegal migrants was a human rights issue where the “poorest of the poor” were attacked, Singh said, “You have seen this happen in other places where a certain ideology is present... and when pressure becomes insurmountable, there is a certain laxity towards human rights.”

Asked whether he thought a certain ideology in Rajasthan was being followed or whether this would happen in “certain law-and-order situations” and whether he would speak to the Chief Minister, the Governor said, “The Chief Minister knows my stand... Pressures are there... I won’t be surprised if ideology is more important this time...and also the indication that their government is doing everything to safeguard interests of those who have suffered.”

... contd.