GUWAHATI, Feb 18 - Questioning the sincerity of the ruling BJP in resolving the illegal migrants problem in Assam, the Prabrajan Virodhi Mancha (PVM) today asked the State Government to make public its plan to protect the identity of the indigenous people.
�Even if eviction is undertaken in government land, it won�t solve the problem much, as the settlers will then encroach some other land within the State. Does the party (BJP) and its government, which came to power on the promise of protecting the identity of the indigenous people, have any plan in this regard?� the Mancha stated in a questionnaire dashed off to the BJP�s national and State presidents.
It said that by amending the citizenship law, minorities from neighbouring countries will be given citizenship. �Why is the assurance that Assam would not accommodate any more foreigners not reflected in the Bill? Why has the Citizenship Act not been amended to ensure that the children of declared foreigners born in India do not get citizenship by birth?� the Mancha said.
The Mancha wanted to know what steps the BJP-led alliance government proposes to take to ensure that the indigenous people do not become a minority and to safeguard land and other resources for the indigenous people.
�The Commissioner appointed by the Supreme Court had, in his report submitted on October 5, 2015, proposed that the only way to save the indigenous from becoming a minority is by reserving land, government jobs and government contracts only for those who were citizens of India and residents in Assam in 1951. The report was accepted by the Supreme Court. Why is it that neither the Central Government nor the State Government has given their views, nor acted on it?� the Mancha asked.
Alleging that a court-declared encroacher was made one of the organisers in the recent Krishak Swahid Diwas programme at Patharughat where the Chief Minister was the chief guest, the Mancha also questioned as to why eviction was not carried out in encroached tracts of Palasbari, Batadrava, Pabhokti Tribal belt, etc.
