Tell Dhaka to accept deported Bangladeshis, Mahanta to Delhi

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, June 28: Former chief minister and AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta today urged the Central government to hold bilateral talks with its Bangladesh counterpart over the issue of sending back illegal Bangladeshi migrants detected in Assam.  

Addressing a press conference here today, former Mahanta said, “The Bangladesh government does not take back the illegal migrants detected in Assam.  So even after detection of such illegal migrants in the State, the government cannot push them back to Bangladesh, as the neighboring country does not accept them as its bofide citizen. The Central government should therefore hold bilateral talks so that illegal Bangladeshi migrants can be deported to that country.”  

Mahanta also urged Delhi to take up with Dhaka the issue of attack on Hindus by Islamist fundamentalist groups in Bangladesh.

“During the last few months, attacks on minorities in Bangladesh have been on the rise. Due to such attacks, many Hindu Bangladeshi tiols have entered Assam or Tripura. So the Central government should also take up this issue with the Bangladesh government immediately,” said Mahanta.

He said that the Central government must formulate a concrete policy for these people who came here fearing religious persecution.

“The people of Assam alone cannot bear the burden of these people. If these people have to be accepted, every state of the country will have to share this burden equally,” said Mahanta.

The Central government on September 7, 2015 through a notification had stated that refugees of minority communities from Pakistan and Bangladesh, who have entered India on or before December 31, 2014, can stay on in the country on humanitarian grounds.

Talking about the implementation of Assam Accord, Mahanta said that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs should take a time-bound programme for implementation of the historic pact. As far as implementation of the Assam Accord is concerned, the nodal ministry is the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The AGP leader also urged the MHA to be extra cautious while implementing so that it does not go against the spirit of the accord.

“We feel that regarding implementation of the accord, no decision should be taken which go against its spirit,” Mahanta said.