The Central government’s contention that the Rohingya refugees in India constitute a threat to national security is baseless, Mr. Shashi Tharoor, MP, said here on Saturday.

Inaugurating a convention organised by the KPCC Vichar Vibhag to express solidarity with the Rohingyas, he said the government had no proof of the 40,000 odd Rohingya refugees indulging in any terrorist activity.

“The Centre’s portrayal of the Rohingyas as illegal immigrants and not refugees is based on a flawed assessment. It could undermine India’s status on the global stage,” he said.

Mr Tharoor said the Rohingya issue had to be seen not as a communal issue but one with a bearing on the nation’s future. Pointing out that India had provided asylum to refugees from Tibet, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Syria, he alleged that the government had adopted a hostile approach to Rohingyas, because they were Muslims.

There was no justification in the argument that a nation of 1,200 million people could not accommodate 40,000 Rohingyas, he added.