Guwahati, Nov. 6: Chief minister Tarun Gogoi today admitted that illegal migration was continuing but said his government had chalked out plans to bring infiltration to an end.
“My government is not hiding anything on the foreigners issue as alleged by the Opposition parties and some students’ organisations. The publication of the white paper on the issue is evident of this fact. I do admit that illegal migration is still on but the volume of infiltration had gone down to a large extent after signing of the Assam Accord,” Gogoi said to reporters on the sidelines of a function to inaugurate a training institute for IAS aspirants. Gogoi said the government had worked out a comprehensive plan to completely stop illegal migration from Bangladesh.
Even though the chief minister did not spell out the exact plan, he dropped broad hints about the road map the white paper mentions. This includes updating the 1951 National Register of Citizens within three years, completing the Aadhaar identification project, fencing of the international border and strengthening of foreigners’ tribunals.
On the other hand, peasant leader Akhil Gogoi today termed Tarun Gogoi as the weakest chief minister in the history of Assam, in terms of detection and deportation of illegal migrants.
“Even though Tarun Gogoi made a hattrick by becoming the chief minister for the third consecutive term, his government could detect and deport only 315 illegal migrants during the last 11 years. When late Bimala Prasad Chaliha was the chief minister during 1957 to 1970, his government had detected and deported 1,96,901 foreigners. Even during the seven months’ regime of Syeda Anwara Taimur in 1981, the government deported 1,046 illegal migrants,” Akhil, the KMSS general secretary, said.
Akhil said despite being Congress chief ministers, Chaliha and Tairmur had the courage to detect and deport illegal migrants. “But Tarun Gogoi is a weak chief minister and not bold enough to do the same job,” he said.
The KMSS will organise a jatiya abhibartan (national convention) tomorrow and a mass rally on Thursday in a bid to prepare a roadmap for finding a permanent solution to the foreigners issue. Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare will participate in the rally.
Academicians, social activists, non-Congress leaders and student leaders, while participating in an interactive meet on the white paper and foreigners’ problem here this evening, demanded immediate sealing of the Assam-Bangladesh border, updating of the NRC and strengthening of the foreigners tribunals.
“When the central government can seal 700-km-long India-Pakistan border that passes through difficult terrain within a year, what has prevented the same government from completing the fencing on the 272km-long Assam-Bangladesh border? The open border has led to unabated influx. Assam has already taken the burden of accepting foreigners who came here before 1971. The state can no longer afford to accept more,” AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharyya said at the meet organised by Northeast India Political Science Association.
