Illegal immigration biggest threat to India: Advani
Press Trust of India
Posted online: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 at 1706 hours IST
New Delhi, July 26: Asserting that illegal immigration was the biggest threat to national security, Opposition on Tuesday made a scathing attack in the Lok Sabha on the Congress-led coalition charging it with attempting to bring IMDT Act in a different form to perpetuate its votebank politics.
Initiating a discussion on an adjournment motion on the issue of infiltration from Bangladesh in eastern parts of the country, leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani said the votebank politics had become ‘biggest disaster for the country’.
This is the first adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha since the Congress-led UPA came to power 14 months back. Noting that the ‘continued aggression’ from Bangladesh had been on for several years since independence, Advani hailed as ‘historic’ the Supreme Court judgment striking down the controversial Act which had been in force since 1983. He said it was a victory for people of Assam.
He said the late Indrajit Gupta, who was the Home Minister in the United Front government in 1996-98, had told Parliament that there were one crore people from Bangladesh residing illegally in India. He said the magnitude of the problem could have grown much more in the last eight years.
Advani demanded that government should accept the apex court judgement and implement it in letter and spirit.
The BJP chief said the fact that a Group of Ministers was set up by the Centre make the people of Assam suspect that the Congress was trying to bring some other version of IMDT Act through the backdoor.
“I will like to caution this government against any such move,” he said.
Quoting extensively from the Supreme Court judgement, Advani said the presence of such a large number of illegal migrants from Bangladesh, which runs into millions, is in fact an aggression on the state of Assam.
The apex court, he said, held that by persisting with this ‘discriminatory law’ the government of India has failed to discharge its duty to protect the state from external aggression and internal disturbance.
Advani also quoted from a speech made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he was leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha in which he had expressed concern over the infiltration.
Rebutting Advani’s contentions, leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee asserted that the ‘gross misuse’ of the Foreigners Act had led to enactment of the IMDT Act.
He said the cut-off date of March 25, 1971, was decided after an agreement between then Bangladesh President Mujibur Rahman and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Quoting figures, Mukherjee pointed out that out of 3.68 lakh cases handled by IMDT Tribunals, only over 11,000 persons were detected as foreigners and deported. The Tribunals under the Foreigners Act had dealt with over 5.17 lakh cases and declared about 28,000 as foreigners.
Maintaining that he could not cross the path of the Supreme Court, he said but we have a right to disagree with the apex court's verdict which has declared the IMDT Act ‘null and void’.
Maintaining that he had dealt with the issue for long as chairman of the Standing Committee on Home Affairs, Mukherjee said the Supreme Court verdict against the IMDT Act did not prevent Parliament to make a law to ‘ensure the genuine rights of genuine citizens’.
He said the Tribunals under the IMDT could not function properly due to lack of infrastructure.
Reacting to BJP charge that Congress was interested in having the IMDT Act to garner minority votes, Mukherjee said his party was not in power for long time in Assam as well as at the Centre, indicating why those in power like the Assam Gana Parishad in the state and BJP at the Centre did not do away with the law. “Let us not do politics on this issue,” he said.
He asked BJP and AGP as to what was the reason for their “jubilation after the law was declared ultra vires by the Supreme Court after 22 years” and asserted hundreds of people cannot be “thrown out of the country at the point of bayonet”.
Basudeb Acharia (CPM) contended that the Supreme Court was not justified in scrapping the Act. He said the border with Bangladesh was porous and there was scope for illegal migration but felt this could not be constituted as ‘external aggression’.
Mohan Singh (SP) said Parliament should correct the situation created by the apex court’s verdict by bringing a new legislation.
Posted online: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 at 1706 hours IST
New Delhi, July 26: Asserting that illegal immigration was the biggest threat to national security, Opposition on Tuesday made a scathing attack in the Lok Sabha on the Congress-led coalition charging it with attempting to bring IMDT Act in a different form to perpetuate its votebank politics.
Initiating a discussion on an adjournment motion on the issue of infiltration from Bangladesh in eastern parts of the country, leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani said the votebank politics had become ‘biggest disaster for the country’.
This is the first adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha since the Congress-led UPA came to power 14 months back. Noting that the ‘continued aggression’ from Bangladesh had been on for several years since independence, Advani hailed as ‘historic’ the Supreme Court judgment striking down the controversial Act which had been in force since 1983. He said it was a victory for people of Assam.
He said the late Indrajit Gupta, who was the Home Minister in the United Front government in 1996-98, had told Parliament that there were one crore people from Bangladesh residing illegally in India. He said the magnitude of the problem could have grown much more in the last eight years.
Advani demanded that government should accept the apex court judgement and implement it in letter and spirit.
The BJP chief said the fact that a Group of Ministers was set up by the Centre make the people of Assam suspect that the Congress was trying to bring some other version of IMDT Act through the backdoor.
“I will like to caution this government against any such move,” he said.
Quoting extensively from the Supreme Court judgement, Advani said the presence of such a large number of illegal migrants from Bangladesh, which runs into millions, is in fact an aggression on the state of Assam.
The apex court, he said, held that by persisting with this ‘discriminatory law’ the government of India has failed to discharge its duty to protect the state from external aggression and internal disturbance.
Advani also quoted from a speech made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he was leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha in which he had expressed concern over the infiltration.
Rebutting Advani’s contentions, leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee asserted that the ‘gross misuse’ of the Foreigners Act had led to enactment of the IMDT Act.
He said the cut-off date of March 25, 1971, was decided after an agreement between then Bangladesh President Mujibur Rahman and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Quoting figures, Mukherjee pointed out that out of 3.68 lakh cases handled by IMDT Tribunals, only over 11,000 persons were detected as foreigners and deported. The Tribunals under the Foreigners Act had dealt with over 5.17 lakh cases and declared about 28,000 as foreigners.
Maintaining that he could not cross the path of the Supreme Court, he said but we have a right to disagree with the apex court's verdict which has declared the IMDT Act ‘null and void’.
Maintaining that he had dealt with the issue for long as chairman of the Standing Committee on Home Affairs, Mukherjee said the Supreme Court verdict against the IMDT Act did not prevent Parliament to make a law to ‘ensure the genuine rights of genuine citizens’.
He said the Tribunals under the IMDT could not function properly due to lack of infrastructure.
Reacting to BJP charge that Congress was interested in having the IMDT Act to garner minority votes, Mukherjee said his party was not in power for long time in Assam as well as at the Centre, indicating why those in power like the Assam Gana Parishad in the state and BJP at the Centre did not do away with the law. “Let us not do politics on this issue,” he said.
He asked BJP and AGP as to what was the reason for their “jubilation after the law was declared ultra vires by the Supreme Court after 22 years” and asserted hundreds of people cannot be “thrown out of the country at the point of bayonet”.
Basudeb Acharia (CPM) contended that the Supreme Court was not justified in scrapping the Act. He said the border with Bangladesh was porous and there was scope for illegal migration but felt this could not be constituted as ‘external aggression’.
Mohan Singh (SP) said Parliament should correct the situation created by the apex court’s verdict by bringing a new legislation.
2 Comments:
Heights of Politics!!!
So what did Mr.Advani do when he was the Home Minister?Was he thinking as on how to give birth to secular Jinnah?IMO,the only practical thing that can be done about B'desh migrants is deny them the right to vote till that time India doesnt turn into an Islamic or Christian repuiblic.
'Casual Browser' - it is this "casual" attitude of yours that led India to this situation. When Advani was home minister his govt was hanging by a slim majority, did you evr bring BJP to full power, no you did not but you expect them to work miracles in 5 yrs in coalition with "secular technocrat" and his gang who threatened to walk out repeatedly. Your second point of ignorance - did you read the text of Advani's so called "secular jinnah" speech or are you quoting from reports in English press? The press reports in no way represents anything close to Advani's speech. He never said anything good about Jinnah and the worst one could accuse him is of being "diplomatic". It is the press that drummed up this canard. Based on this ignorance half-educated dimwits throw up their hands and refuse to fight for bjp or India or believe in anything the bjp says. I'm talking of the bjp you never voted to power, not the nda you barely got in. Have you ever managed anything in your career where you have 10% authority, work with troublesome colleagues who want all the media attention and praise for your work and are expected to work miracles and save an institution that has been degraded for 50+ years? If you were successful in such a scenario only then talk with that obnoxious attitude.
You want everything handed on a platter to you, dont you? If only people like you walk around with a stamp on your fore-head saying half-educated-english-media-brainwashed- dimwit, ppl could know who they must help in this world and not waste time on so-called-indians like you.
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