The migration from Bangladesh - an alarming exercise

Migration is now a days a blazing issue for Assam. Not only is there exodus from Bangladesh, people enter from Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar as well. It raises a crucial threat both to the identity of the Assamese people and to our national security. According to Indian democratic constitution, all citizens have the right to live any where in India, however in 1947 the Muslim population in Assam was a mere 12% whereas according to the 2001 population census the same stands at 28% and may be even cross 35% according to the recent trends. The post 2025 era might see it surpassing 50% with politico-physical power with them. Can our constitution save Assam from Bangladeshi migration?

A range of intelligent agencies have set out warning messages and of grave price if immediate responsiveness is not met. Regrettably, these illegal migrants have been given legal protection with resident certificates, pattas, etc for constricted political mileage. As a result, the real Assamese people have been reduced to a minority in most of the border districts and they are now unvoiced. The recent migration of Bangladeshi suspects from upper Assam following threats through SMS in mobile phones and leaflets by some unidentified people is evident of the fact that there is a mammoth presence of illegal Bangladeshis. Whether the statement of Assam Governor on the infiltration on illegal Bangladeshis infiltration into Assam is exaggerated or not, the Chief Minister has also admitted that there is silent penetration of illegal Bangladeshis into the State all along. This infiltration into Assam and elsewhere in the region has changed its demography and has now become a severe intimidation to the issue of survival of the natives and also to the security of the country. To identify the illegal Bangladeshis will not be very difficult once the citizens are properly educated about their natures. Assam has larger role to solve the illegal immigrant issues and the actions taken there will have maximum impact in other parts of the region.

If Assam Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Ajay Singh’s statement that about 6000 illegal Bangladeshis are entering Assam daily is acceptable, then the fate of the north-east people are terribly at risk. This means there will be 1, 80,000 Bangladeshis in a month and 21.6 lakhs annually. The State will have 21.6 million illegal Bangladeshis by 2015, outnumbering the entire population of the region excluding Assam and the whole North East will be reduced to a minority in 20 years time.

Unfortunately, instead of solving the problem, both the central and state governments have misled the people. In 1985 the government and the students union signed an act called the IMDT only to see most of the districts of lower Assam outnumbered by the immigrants. Assam shares a 272 kms porous border with Bangladesh, a vast stretch of which is unfenced. Over two years ago, the government estimated that there could be up to 20 million illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India, and labeled some of them a security risk. Illegal immigration has become farmhands for river fishermen in villages. In towns they are often construction workers or rickshaw pullers, and the women are maids.  After the last operation against the Bangladeshis, rickshaw pullers suddenly went off the roads, maids stopped coming to work places and the market witnessed shortage of eggs and chickens. Brick kilns faced a closure as there was shortage of laborers.

Peace loving Assamese would quietly rest judging that the government would perform its folio, but the great Indian vote bank politics has a hand to that. Let’s pray for the poor sons of the soil to wake up to the cause.