Yesterday, while campaigning in Rajasthan, Bharatiya Janata Party President, Amit Shah hitting out at the Congress party over the issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants said that his government will not spare anyone and ‘expel’ out of the country ‘one by one’.
Ahead of the polling in Rajasthan, scheduled for 7th December, Amit Shah questioned the Congress party and asked party president Rahul Gandhi to clarify whether the ‘infiltrators’ should be allowed to stay or be deported. Taking a jibe at the Congress while addressing a meeting in Karauli district, Shah said, “During the 10 years of the previous Congress government’s rule at Centre, there was no control on infiltration.”
Amit Shah further said, “I assure you that BJP government will work to throw out each and every intruder from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and Assam to Gujarat one by one.” On one hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party has been very clear on its stance on illegal Bangladeshi migrants and identified them a threat to the national security and has been deporting them out of Assam. On the other hand, the Congress party has maintained an ambiguous and dubious stand on this.
Gaurav Gogoi, son of former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Member of Parliament from Kaliabor in Assam has maintained a positive stance over the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) but party president Rahul Gandhi seems to have a very different view on the issue.
The final draft of NRC had struck off the names of 40 lakh people. Reacting to this Gogoi thanked the government employees for their hard work in preparing the draft as he tweeted, “My humble appeal to all the media channels today is be sensitive regarding the draft list of NRC in Assam. People have responded positively and been very cooperative. The previous Congress government initiated a historic exercise. My thanks to all government employees who have worked so hard.”
My humble appeal to all media channels today is be sensitive regarding the draft list of NRC in Assam. People have responded positively and been very cooperative. The previous Congress Govt initiated a historic exercise. My thanks to all Govt employees who have worked so hard.
— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) July 30, 2018
Gogoi, at last, gave credit to his party for this, which in reality never worked towards ensuring deportation of the illegal immigrants from the state. Moreover, contradicting his own party MP from Assam, Rahul Gandhi in a Facebook post said, “The National Regsiter of citizens was initiated by the UPA under Manmohan Singh to fulfil the commitment made in the Assam Accord of 1985. However, the manner in which this exercise has been undertaken by the BJP governments at the centre and in the state of Assam leaves much to be desired.”
These calibrated and confused statements prove that there is certainly a difference of opinion in the Congress party and the party doesn’t seem to have a single stand regarding the issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
It is necessary for the Congress party to maintain a stance on the NRC draft because it was non-other than Indira Gandhi in 1971, who was committed to detect and deport the illegal migrants. She had initiated the dialogue with All Assam Student’s Union (AASU) and the All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP). In the dialogue, the associations conveyed PM Indira Gandhi about “profound sense of apprehension regarding the continuing influx of foreign nationals into Assam”. Further, Rajiv Gandhi was compelled to sign the Assam Accord Agreement in 1985 due to a widespread agitation. Even after the agreement the Congress didn’t show the will to implement it since they were aiming at a vote bank in these illegal Bangladeshis.
WikiLeaks in one of its revelation alleged Sonia Gandhi of having a non-deportation stance on the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants as she was worried about a decline in Congress’ vote bank. This cable from Wikileaks dates back to 2006 when the then Congress President Sonia Gandhi was campaigning for the 2006 state Assembly elections in Assam and in a brazen appeal to the Muslims, offered to amend the Foreigners Act to prevent the deportation of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.
So, the Congress party must clarify whether it stands with the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants or national security. The questions raised by Amit Shah is set to put the Grand Old Party in a spot of bother. On the other hand, BJP is clear and its government appears firm on the issue of illegal migrants.
