archive: Fundie, and proud of it
'No one looks at the problem from the national interest angle'
Rediff on Net
December 16, 1999
Title: 'No one looks
at the problem from the national interest angle'
Author:
Publication: Rediff
on Net
Date: December 16, 1999
Assam Governor Lieutenant
General (retired) S K Sinha recently submitted a report to President K
R Narayanan drawing his attention to the influx of Bangladeshi immigrants
into lower Assam regions. The report said parts of the state were fast
turning into Muslim-dominated areas and it was a matter of time before
a demand for their merger with Bangladesh was made. While the Congress
has called the report 'alarming' and demanded Sinha's recall, the Bharatiya
Janata Party has asked the government to consider the report seriously.
In a brief interview with rediff.com Sinha puts forth his point of view:
Your report to the President
has created a lot of heat. Political parties like the Congress have called
you communal and a "BJP agent."
Those who are calling
me names lack objectivity. I have no political agenda. In fact, these people
only talk big. No one looks at the problem from the national interest angle.
How strong is Bangladesh's
attempts to capture parts of Assam?
I have clearly stated
in my report how people from erstwhile East Pakistan and even before Pakistan
was created were thinking of grouping Assam with Pakistan. Even today,
intellectuals talk about lebensraum or living space. Assam is the living
space for them.
And how do you think
Bangladesh will sever the North-East from the rest of the country?
Look at the map. Migration
is still going on and the districts of Dhubri and Goalpara in lower Assam
have a large number of migrants. At one stage, they will want to merge
with Bangladesh. This will lead to the land link between the northeastern
region and the rest of the country getting snapped. Has anyone thought
about the strategic and economic consequences for the whole nation?
So how do you tackle
the problem?
If there is a strong
political will, the problem is not insoluble. First repeal the Illegal
Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, 1983. And let's not say that
minorities will be harassed if the Act is repealed. Does West Bengal have
IM(DT)? Despite its absence Indian minorities face no problem in that state,
so why should they be apprehensive? Second, let us use Foreigners' Act
to detect migrants. Let officials from outside Assam be deputed for this
task. Then, let us strengthen the Border Security Force and the fencing
on the border to prevent further infiltration.
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