CM Sarma slams Indian textile factories for illegal import of 'cheap' Bangladesh workers

Guwahati, Jan. 1: In a growing concern over the influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has revealed that Indian textile factory owners are also playing a role in this surge by "importing" cheap labour from the neighbouring country.

“Many workers who were previously employed in the textile sector are now entering India. Some textile factory owners in our country are incentivising this by illegally importing cheap labour,” Sarma said, in a press briefing on Wednesday.

Sarma also confirmed that the matter was discussed with the Centre and the issue was also raised during the North-East Council (NEC) meeting held last month in Tripura, which was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah

“Certain industries are facilitating the illegal import of cheap labour. This issue was brought up in the last NEC meeting, and I’ve had discussions with Home Minister Amit Shah. The Centre is taking this very seriously. We need to target the industrial houses encouraging this illegal immigration,” he added.

The Chief Minister reiterated his December 25 statement on the “virtual collapse” of Bangladesh's textile industry, which, he claims, has contributed to the surge in illegal infiltration. He further highlighted that the influx is predominantly from the majority community in Bangladesh.

“Political unrest and economic collapse in Bangladesh have affected the majority community more than the minority. Most of the workers in the country’s textile industry were from the majority community. As a result, the influx into India has primarily been from the majority community, which is classified as a minority in India,” Sarma said.

The rising illegal infiltration also raises concerns over a potential terrorism threat. In recent weeks, Assam Police’s Special Task Force (STF) has launched a series of raids on sleeper cells linked to the banned terrorist group Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), which has ties to Al Qaeda in Bangladesh. Several arrests have been made, including a Bangladeshi national.

“Regarding the jihadi threat, we have dismantled a major module. We arrested 23 individuals and seized several weapons. Assam’s government is fully aware of the threat posed by these jihadi elements across the border. We are working closely with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to conduct these operations. We’ve also arrested individuals from Bengal and Kerala. Our coordination with the NIA and IB has led to a robust response,” Sarma explained.

He also highlighted that since the political turmoil in Bangladesh in August, the Assam government has successfully pushed back thousands of infiltrators. “However, it is not Hindus from Bangladesh who are crossing the border,” he said.