GUWAHATI, Aug 11 � Admitting that sending back the legally detected Bangladeshi infiltrators was a complex exercise because of the absence of a reciprocal arrangement with Bangladesh, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said that the problem was further compounded by the large number of �absconding� infiltrators.
�Infiltration is there even though it has subsided in recent times�Bangladesh does not want to take back the detected illegal immigrants, and this has made the deportation process difficult. It is for the Government of India to take up the matter with Bangladesh,� Gogoi said at a press conference.
�The problem is further compounded by the absconding foreigners once their status is determined through the legal process. However, their names are deleted from the voters list after that,� he added.
On the National Register of Citizens (NRC) update, Gogoi said that it was a long-drawn process and would take at least four-five years for completion. �What could not be accomplished in the last five decades cannot be completed in a year,� he said.
Castigating the BJP for trying to creating a �communal divide� by branding the violence-affected Muslim populace in BTAD as Bangladeshi infiltrators, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said that such irresponsible utterances at a time when peace was slowly returning would incite hatred and violence.
�They are Indian citizens, and this is not the time to play communal politics as restoration of peace and normalcy is the top priority�it is the Congress Government that has done the most to prevent infiltration,� he said.
Asserting that the Government would come up with a White Paper on the steps taken for checking infiltration, Gogoi said that senior BJP leader LK Advani never even had a discussion with Gogoi while he was the country�s Home Minister during the BJP rule.
�It is me who repeatedly called for improving border security by having more outposts, night vigilance, etc. The BJP was totally inert and it exposes that they want infiltration to continue to effect a communal rift to suit their divisive politics,� he added.
