GUWAHATI, Jan 10 - The ruling BJP today claimed that there has been no influx of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants to India during the last ten years and added that passage of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill will not bring in any new foreigners into the country.
�No infiltration is happening at this moment. Illegal migration happened only earlier. I believe that in the last 10 years no infiltration took place from Bangladesh (to India),� BJP spokesperson Swapnanil Barua said during a press conference here.
He said that Bangladeshis now prefer to migrate to countries in the Gulf region and Europe as they can earn much more in those places compared to India.
�In Europe or Gulf or South East Asia, they get a minimum wage of around Rs 3,000 per day. In India, they can earn a maximum of Rs 1,000. So, why should they come here? They have no economic reasons to come here,� Barua asked.
He said the high powered committee constituted by the Centre for implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord has an important role to play in safeguarding the future of the State as well as for constitutional and legal rights of the indigenous people.
Speaking on the occasion, State BJP spokesperson Mominul Aowal said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, if passed, will not bring any new Hindu Bangladeshi immigrants into India.
�There is no scope or provision to give citizenship to new immigrants. It is only for those people who are already living here,� he said.
Aowal accused KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi of carrying out the ongoing agitation against the Bill with a purpose to assist the illegal Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh.
�KMSS has now joined hands with a group like AAMSU, which was formed for protection of the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants,� he said.
Another State BJP spokesperson Bijon Mahajan said that Clause 6 of the Assam Accord puts emphasis on constitutional, administrative and legislative safeguards regarding cultural, social and linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.
He added Clause 6 of the Accord has nothing regarding political protection or reservation for indigenous people of Assam in the Legislative Assembly and local bodies, whereas the high powered committee formed by the Centre has the power to deal with the issue of reservation for locals in elections to the Legislative Assembly and local bodies as well as State government jobs.
�Needless to say, this is more than whatever has been provided in Clause 6 of the Assam Accord and as such needs to be welcomed by all sections of the State,� Mahajan said.
