AGP spews blood on exemption to Bangladeshi & Pakistani minorities

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Sept 8: AGP president Atul Bora has spewed blood today on the issue of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre deciding, on humanitarian ground, to exempt Bangladeshi and Pakistani tiols, belonging to minority communities who have entered India on or before December 31, 2014, from the relevant provisions of rules and order made under the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and the Foreigners Act, 1946, in respect of their stay in India without such documents or after the expiry of those documents, as the case may be.

The Centre has already issued two notifications in the Official Gazette yesterday under the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and the Foreigners Act, 1946, accordingly. The issue of regularization of entry and stay of such Bangladeshi and Pakistani tiols in India has, however, been kept under consideration of the Centre.

Reacting to the development, AGP president Atul Bora said in no uncertain terms that ‘the need of the NRC in Assam has been made redundant now’. “Assam has again been made the victim to a political conspiracy. This decision of the rendra Modi-led Government at the Centre directly goes against the Assam Accord that has spelt out March 24, 1971 mid-night as the cut-off date for deportation of any Bangladeshis entering Assam. The Modi government’s new cut-off date of December 31, 2014 for minorities in Bangladesh and Pakistan has violated the sanctity of the Assam Accord. This is a direct insult to the 855 Assam Agitation martyrs. The Prime Minister has classified foreigners on basis of their faiths. Assam, however, is a land of Sankar-Azan Fakir where ‘unity in diversity’ is the accepted mantra for coexistence. This decision is another double standard of the BJP,” he said.

Bora said: “The BJP goes in betraying Assam again and again. During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party said that all Bangladeshis would be deported to Bangladesh. However, after coming to power, the government led by the party at the Centre relaxed the visa provisions for certain categories of Bangladeshis. It was followed by the execution of the India-Bangladesh Land Swap Deal. It also gave its go-ahead nod to the NHPC on big dams. All these are anti-Assam decisions. The AGP won’t accept the decision on foreigners taken by the BJP. And we hope that no indigenous organizations that love Assam will support this decision taken by the Centre. The BJP-led Government at the Centre is doing all these keeping its eyes set on the 2016 Assembly elections in the State. This is yet another plot on the part of the Saffron party to woo voters.”

Meanwhile, there are reports that a number of Bangladeshi and Pakistani tiols belonging to minority communities in those countries, such as Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Parsis and Bhuddhists, were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of religious persecution. They have entered India either without any valid document, including passport/other travel document or with valid documents but the validity of such documents has expired. The Centre claims that it has to take such a decision purely on humanitarian ground.