NEW DELHI, Feb 19 – Conceding that unabated illegal immigration from Bangladesh may have led to demographic changes, External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee said that though the UPA Government would not downplay the problem, but it won’t like to overplay it either. The External Affairs Minister referred to the problem of illegal immigration from Bangladesh, while replying to the discussion on the President’s Address in the Parliament.
“I don’t want to minimise the problem but we don’t like to overemphasize it,” Mukherjee said responding to Opposition Leader, LK Advani’s charge that the UPA Government was ignoring the problem.
“Yes infiltration is taking place. It is a long and porous border of over 4,000 km. Over the last 60 years, there has been demographic changes. Therefore, fencing work is going on,” the External Affairs Minister said.
Significantly, yesterday, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Radhika Selvi admitted that the demography of the border districts of Assam might have changed, given the nature of the illegal migration from Bangladesh.
Asserting further, he said, “We are taking it to its logical conclusion. Construction of border fencing is going on and border outposts have been enhanced.”
All these measures have been taken and over 100,000 people have been handed over the Border Security Force (BSF) to send them back to Bangladesh, he said.
Mukherjee also referred to the repeal of the IM(DT) Act, and held that it was not the first time that the Supreme Court has scrapped an Act. It does not mean that Government will amend the law in conformity with the Supreme Court’s ruling,” he said.
On Tuesday, Opposition leader said that if the Supreme Court has given any verdict about Afzal Guru and Bangladeshi infiltration, there is no reason the Government should not respect it.
About infiltration and illegal immigration from Bangladesh, the Supreme Court has said that this is nothing short of external aggression. The Government is colluding with it. It is serious indictment of the UPA Government and it is surprising that after that instead of taking that indictment in earnest and trying to apply correctives they have amended the Foreigners Act and the Supreme Court struck down that amendment also, charged Advani.
“I want to assert that infiltration and illegal immigration going on in Assam and Eastern India are creating a potential danger of another partition of the country,” he cautioned.
Meanwhile, participating in the discussion on the President’s address, Congress MP. Kirip Chaliha said that the North Eastern Region (NER) and Assam is an area, the country has to pay attention.
Speaking in Assamese, Chaliha lauded the achievements of the UPA Government, referring to the social sector schemes like NREGA and Right to Information Act, said Assam wanted an end to the problem of militancy. “We want restoration of peace,” he said.
He appealed to the militants to lay down arms and join the mainstream.
In Rajya Sabha, participating in the discussion on President’s Address, Biren Baishya held that wrong policies pursued by the Centre have led to growing regional imbalance. Asserting that the flood is a national problem, which the State Government alone cannot tackle, he said the Centre should declare it as a national problem.
Continuing further, he said that insurgency problem of Assam and the North-East should be solved through political dialogue and not by bullets. He urged the Centre to start the process of political negotiations with ULFA and other militant outfits of the Region.
Referring to the problem of the illegal immigration from Bangladesh, he urged the Government to implement the Assam Accord. He also cautioned that due to influx from Bangladesh, the son of the soil would become minority in their own land. It is the duty of Government of India to safeguard the indigenous people of the State, he added.
Silvius Condpan and Kumar Deepak Das, among others also participated in the discussion.
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