[Assam] Congress leaders are playing politics in the name of religion

[Pradip Kumar Datta]

Congress leaders are playing politics in the name of religion
   
  Cong seeks Centre’s intervention
>From Our Spl Correspondent, ASSAM TRIBUNE
 NEW DELHI, July 27 – The ongoing deportation drive against suspected illegal migrants threatens to snowball into a major controversy with the BJP deciding to rush a five-member fact finding team of MPs to take stock of the latest development, even as the Assam Congress today called for Central intervention to resolve the crisis. The Central Government has asked for reports from the concerned States including Assam about the latest situation arising out of the deportation of the suspected illegal migrants, a Congress Party’s delegation of elected representatives was told, when they questioned the silence of the North Eastern States. The Prime Minister and Home Minister reportedly assured that they would act after receiving the reports from the State Governments.

The BJP team comprising Khiren Rijiju, Kharabela Swain, Dharmendra Pradhan, Nikhil Kumar Chaudhury and Narayan Chandra Borkotoki, all MPs, is scheduled to visit the five States bordering Bangladesh between August1-4. The team proposes to tour Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and West Bengal before submitting its report to Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil and Parliamentary Standing Committee attached to the Ministry, besides BJP national president, Rajnath Singh.

The team has been tasked to take stock of the measures taken by the Government of India to curb infiltration from across the border as well as to ascertain the progress of the border fencing work.

On the other hand, the Congress Party delegation belonging to the minority community met the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister asking for Centre’s assistance in resolving the crisis in consultation with the concerned State Governments. They alleged that the elected Governments of Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh were silently watching the situation, while a few organisations have taken law into their own hand.

The Congress delegation that including at least three State Ministers besides MPs and MLAs pressed the Centre to intervene, claiming that the people being dumped by the neighbouring States into Assam were bonafide citizens of India and had gone to these State in search of livelihood.

“Some of these people who have been forcefully evicted have been living in these States for the last 30 years and most of them possess Inner Line Permit,” said Anwar Hussain MP, who had accompanied the delegation.

He further alleged that the people have been subjected to harassment in neighbouring States. In Mizoram these people are being kept under house arrest with no access to food and water. “All their documents have been snatched away,” he charged.

The delegation needless to say was satisfied with the role of Assam Government. The State Government has been carefully scrutinising the people dumped at the border outpost. It is only after verifying the bonafide of the deported person that they are being escorted under police cover to their respective villages. Arunachal Pradesh has dumped 260 persons recently at out border,” Hussain contended.

The Congress delegation has also countered the claim of All Assam Students Union that Assam has turned into dustbin of illegal migrants. “Assam is not the dumping ground of Bangladeshi,” the MP claimed.

“It has been two years since the Supreme Court scrapped the IM (DT) Act. How many Bangladeshi have been deported so far,” asked Hussain dismissing AASU’s claim that the Act was hindrance to detection and deportation.

The delegation’s visit came in response to AASU’s recent meeting with the Home Minister, when they demanded setting up of detention centre to house the illegal migrants being deported by the neighbouring States before their deportation.

Meanwhile, Rijiju told newsmen that BJP would like to appeal to Assam Government to support the move and use its resources to deport the illegal migrants out of North-east. “It is unfortunate that’s sme Congress leaders are playing politics in the name of religion,” he alleged.

According to estimates, if Assam Government continues to play religious cards to retain power undermining the danger of the presence of large illegal Bangladeshi, there will be a Bangladeshi Chief Minister in Assam within 20 years, he cautioned.


       
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