Source: Oken Jeet Sandham - NEPS
Kohima, August 26:
The 2-Day Seminar on "Modernization without Westernization" and "Illegal Immigration in Northeast Bharatvarsh (India)�A threat to socio-cultural identity of the people and a danger to sovereignty of nation" organized here by Janjati Vikas Samiti Nagaland at Zonal Council Hall concluded today with dozens of resource persons and delegates from across the country stressing urgent necessity to have collective effort to face the illegal migrants from across Bangladesh.
All the resource persons and delegates thoroughly deliberated on the unprecedented influx of illegal Bangladeshis into Assam and elsewhere in the country and the imminent threat to the integrity and sovereignty of the country.
They also came to conclusion that there should be an urgent necessity for the people of the region to have a united effort to fight the scourge.
They also discussed on how the successive governments in the State (Assam) encouraged the illegal infiltration of Bangladeshis into Assam for their vote banks.
Presenting his paper on "Illegal Bangladeshi Migrants Rule Assam," JP Rajkhowa, IAS (retd) and former chief secretary of Assam, said infiltration, despite Center's claim of deploying border guards, had been going on with the support of Islamic fundamentalist groups, jihadi elements, pro-Bangladeshi supporters in Assam, and so called 'minority' organizations and in connivance with 'vote-bank' hungry politicians and parties.
He also said the close links of the ISI of Pakistan and DGFI of Bangladesh with Insurgent and terrorist groups of the Northeast settling down in Bangdladesh, had further complicated the situation for Assam, making it the easiest grazing ground of the land-hungry and impoverished and exclusivist Bangladeshi Muslims.
He pointed out these Bangladeshi Muslims in Assam had already become a very "powerful political as well as economic force".
Rajkhowa also stated the ultimate goal of Islamising Assam and the rest of the Northeast was very much active in the agenda of the Muslim fundamentalists, including politicians having their roots in East Bengal/East Pakistan/Bangladesh.
He even disclosed about the challenge thrown by All Assam Madrassa Students Association (AAMSA) against All Assam Students Union (AASU) Adviser, Samujjal Bhattacharyya, from entering into the Barak Valley for his alleged "anti-minority" statements.
Another resource person Ashok Kumar Sahu, IPS, former ADGP, Assam also highlighted as to how the land hungry Muslims continued to infiltrate into land-rich Assam under direct patronage of leaders in the Congress party who were equally hungry of the Muslim votes.
He said Foreigners Agitation that started in 1979 gave birth to ULFA, a Maoist insurgent organization and the metamorphosis of a regional political party---AGP.
The agitation that continued till 1985 was intended to get the names of the foreigners deleted from the voters' list and deports them from India.
But, ironically, though the AGP ruled the state for ten years after 1985 blissfully forgot the very people's mandate that brought them to power.
But the tragedy is the ULFA had to seek refuge in Bangladesh thereby virtually became a pawn in the hands of the ISI, Sahu stated.
Roop Singh Bhil, Dr Saponti Borthakur, former BSF DG Rammohan, noted journalist Samudra Gupta Kashyap and Col RS Jassal were among others who also presented their papers on the same issue today.