'We can't bear anymore burden of foreigners'

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Oct 3: "Assam has already shouldered the huge burden of foreigners from East Pakistan or Bangladesh, and it can't bear anymore," said Asom Khilanjia Ga Mancha (AKGM) general secretary Tapan Sarma Baruah today.

Talking to newsmen at Gauri Sadan here, Baruah said: "According to The Assam Land Revenue Manual, Vol-1, Eighth Edition, 1968 and Settlement Policy of 1968 No. RSS 148/67, from the year 1962-1963 a number of big groups of Bangladeshi refugees entered in the state, and for them the state government had to provide around 52 bighas of land by destroying the reserved forest land. In the Indira-Mujib treaty also, it was decided that those refugees would go back to Bangladesh within six weeks, but later on Bangladesh Government did not implement that decision and the indigenous people of the state had to suffer due to lack of land. Prime Minister rendra Modi is now trying to violate the Intertiol treaty by taking the decision of giving shelter to the illegal immigrants now and therefore, he should be arrested."

Baruah also said: "Already our state has many problems like insurgency, unemployment, flood etc., so this burden of foreigners will hit the people hard. The Central Government is also playing game in the me of giving ST status to six ethnic communities, and this should be solved as soon as possible."

Baruah said: "We are planning to field candidates in 20 to 40 constituencies of the state in the coming Assembly elections in 2016. Already, we have conducted the ground survey and formed committees in 7-8 districts and 25 constituencies from Saraighat to Sadia. The Assamese people are losing the Assamese tiolism for which, they have lost their strength. We, therefore, are working on this matter and trying to reenergize the Assamese people to save our land, people and rights."