Indian state keeps Modi promise

Madhya Pradesh has implemented what PM Narendra Modi promised during campaigning five months ago, says the 'Times of India'.

Indian Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 31 July 2014, 07:09 AM
Updated : 31 July 2014, 07:09 AM

Modi had promised deportation of ‘illegal Bangladeshi migrants and rehabilitation of those who fled to India because of religious persecution’.

Now a report in 'Times of India' says that the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government has implemented the latter part of his promise by rehabilitating in his state ‘over 5,000 Bangladeshis who belonged to the minority community from Bangladesh’.

Dhaka does not agree to New Delhi claim that there are illegal Bangladeshi migrants in India.

The Madhya Pradesh administration informed the Supreme Court on Wednesday that the ‘Bangladeshis’ had been given citizenship, ration cards, shelter and employment.

Though it did not reveal their religious identity, sources said there were no Muslims among them.

The response of the MP government came on a PIL filed by NGO 'Swajan', which had sought direction to the Centre and states not to deport ‘those belonging to the minority community in Bangladesh who had illegally crossed into India to escape religious persecution’.

It had said that often, those belonging to the religious minority there were bracketed with Muslim illegal migrants and deported to Bangladesh, putting them back in the discriminatory surroundings.

The MP government, in its affidavit, gave a district-wise break-up of 5,464 ‘Bangladeshi refugees’ settled in the state — Mandsaur (2,347), Betul (1,579), Dewas (820), Morena (507) and Khandwa (211).

"All 5,464 Bangladeshi immigrants residing in Madhya Pradesh as on June 2014 have been rehabilitated. They have been provided with citizenship, ration cards, shelters and most people have been employed in various projects of the state or are running independent businesses, apart from being agriculturists," the state told the Supreme Court.

On February 22, Modi in a campaign speech in Assam had said, "As soon as we come to power at the Centre, detention camps housing Hindu migrants from Bangladesh will be done away with. We have a responsibility towards Hindus harassed in other countries. Where will they go? Our government cannot continue to harass them. We will have to accommodate them here."

This has upset Assamese regional groups and militant outfits like ULFA who want none from Bangladesh to be given refuge in Northeast India's most populous state.