Hindus do not emigrate to India, stay in crisis-ridden Bangladesh and fight back: Himanta

Silchar (Assam), Aug 24 (PTI) – Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday claimed that Hindus have not attempted to enter India from Bangladesh since the neighbouring country became unstable.

“Hindus are staying and fighting in Bangladesh. In the last one month, not a single Hindu has been caught trying to enter India,” he told a press conference here.

He also claimed that Muslims from the neighboring country were trying to come to the country to find work in the Indian textile industry.

“In the last month, 35 Muslim intruders have been arrested… they are trying to enter… but those who are coming are going to Bangalore, Tamil Nadu and Coimbatore to work in the textile industry,” the chief minister claimed.

“We intercepted them and pushed them back. Fortunately or unfortunately, they belong to a community,” he said.

The infiltrators try to enter through Tripura, travel by train via Karimganj in Assam and reach the south Indian cities, Sarma said.

Anyone trying to enter India illegally will be arrested by the Assam and Tripura police and the BSF, he said.

Sarma insisted that if the Hindus had wanted to, they would have come at the time of partition.

“They consider Bangladesh as their homeland, that is why they did not come. We should respect them,” the prime minister said.

“We have asked our prime minister to make it clear to the Bangladesh government that the safety of Hindus must be ensured,” Sarma said.

Referring to the Bengali Hindus who migrated to India before 2014, the deadline for granting Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the Chief Minister claimed that the number of such people in Assam is nowhere near the 2 million claimed by a section of the CAA opponents.

To facilitate the process of obtaining citizenship for these immigrants, Sarma said, “The police have been instructed not to visit them as they (Hindu Bengalis from Bangladesh) will choose the CAA route… We are also trying to resolve the cases in foreigners' courts.”

The Assam government is also trying to activate the biometric data of the eligible persons which was frozen during the NRC updating process and these measures together will ensure that the Bengali Hindus do not face any further problems, he said.
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“I don't think the number of people who will benefit from these measures is very high. At most… maybe 20,000. But the CAA opponents provoked the people of Assam by saying that 20 lakh people will enter and get citizenship under the CAA,” Sarma said.

On the impact of regime change in Bangladesh, Sarma said, “The insurgency situation in the Northeast may change now… If a government comes to power which is anti-India, we will definitely have a problem.”

“But let's wait and see. Elections are being held there. After the elections, we will know what kind of government will be formed. It is premature to say anything now,” he added.

The Prime Minister also said that the instability in Bangladesh could affect the Paresh Barua-led ULFA (I).

“Paresh Barua has 700 trained cadres, a very good network of well-wishers who are not well-wishers of India, and given the instability in Bangladesh, he has his power.

“We cannot undermine this but the police should have more power to control the situation. I am not saying that ULFA(I) is a dying organisation but we have had peace for the last three years and will continue to ensure it,” Sarma added.