Will Bangladeshi refugee issue dominate Assam’s assembly polls?

Rupak Bhattacharjee
Published : 14 Oct 2015, 04:39 AM
Updated : 14 Oct 2015, 04:39 AM

The problem of Bangladeshi refugees still haunts Assam's polity. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government's recent step to grant refugee status to the lakhs of Bengali Hindus fleeing Bangladesh as a result of religious persecution or fear of it, has added a new twist to the murky politics of illegal migration in Assam.

In a notification issued on September 7, 2015, the NDA government decided to "exempt Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals belonging to minority communities who had entered India on or before December 31, 2014, from the relevant provisions of rules and order made under the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, and the Foreigners Act, 1946", with respect to their entry and stay in the country on humanitarian considerations.

Following this notification, the Bengali Hindus who had migrated from Bangladesh could now stay in India for long. Reports suggest that there are about 1.5 lakh "Doubtful voters" in Assam. Like the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling Congress in the state is also wooing the Bengali Hindu migrants with an eye on the upcoming assembly elections. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, however, clarified that they had just been allowed to stay in India without voting rights.

Meanwhile, the NDA government's decision sparked sharp reactions from various organisations and political parties of the state. Several indigenous groups have been vociferously protesting against the BJP-led government's attempts to divide the people of Assam along religious and linguistic parameters to derive electoral benefits. They are urging the Centre to immediately revoke the notification as Assam is not in a position to accommodate migrants irrespective of their religious background. All the organisations of Assam want the union government to rehabilitate the refugees to other states saying Assam can not bear the burden anymore.

The question of permanent settlement of Bangladeshi refugees often created volatile situation in the past and continues to be a prickly issue in Assam politics. The influx of migrants from erstwhile East Pakistan to Assam persisted even after the independence of Bangladesh. According to various estimates, nearly 10 million people, including many Hindus took shelter in India during the 1971 war as murderous Pakistan Army and their local collaborators had been particularly targeting non-Muslims. Most of them returned home after the liberation of Bangladesh but a sizeable segment stayed back in Assam. Migrants who crossed over into India on or before March 24, 1971, were accorded "refugee" status and eventually granted citizenship by the government of India.

However, according to the provisions of Assam Accord, any person who has entered Assam after the midnight of March 24, 1971, will be treated as an illegal migrant. Large number of migrants have entered Assam to escape religious persecution, social discrimination and growing threats to their lives and properties in Bangladesh. The plight of these people is seen from a humanitarian perspective. Reports suggest that the total strength of the refugees could be approximately 85 lakhs. A vast majority of them consists of Bengali speaking Hindus. There are also Buddhists, Garos, Rajbongshis, Adivashis and Bishnupriya Manipuris among the refugees.

Political parties outside North East are not opposed to granting citizenship rights to the refugees coming from neighbouring South Asian countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh under difficult conditions though they refrain from making public statements on such matters considering their sensitivities. But the BJP is vocal on the plight of minority nationals of other South Asian countries and often raises the issue on the eve of elections. Narendra Modi and other top BJP leaders pledged to the voters of Assam during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls that Bangladeshi refugees would not be treated as foreigners and rehabilitated in Assam or else where. The party leaders maintain that the minorities, both ethnic and religious, continue to suffer especially in Bangladesh due to the resurgence of religious extremism and hence should be treated sympathetically.

The NDA government's recent decision to grant refugee status to the Bangladeshi Hindus has angered many in Assam. They are totally opposed to the government's initiatives to rehabilitate lakhs of Bangladeshi refugees in the state. The local student bodies and pressure groups maintain that both the mainstream political parties like BJP and Congress are indulging in "vote-bank politics" at the expense of Assam's larger interests. Their leaders believe that the permanent settlement of Bangladeshi refugees mostly of non-Muslim origin would not only put tremendous pressure on state's dwindling resources, disturb social cohesion and threaten political stability in the sensitive North Eastern region but also endanger distinct culture and identity of indigenous people of the state.

Assam's own regional party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), whose frontline leaders actively participated in the anti-foreigners movement for six years (1979-85), has vehemently opposed the government's move. Former Chief Minister and a signatory of the Assam Accord, Prafulla Mahanta though agreed on principle that these refugees should be treated on humanitarian grounds, he does not want Assam to shoulder all the responsibility.

Paresh Baruah-led United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) or ULFA (I) has joined the bandwagon and threatened to launch attack if the Centre provides shelter to any illegal immigrant in the state. The militant outfit said it would target all infiltrators who are trying to settle in the state. The ULFA (I), which is opposed to dialogue with the government and has vowed to continue armed struggle to realise a "sovereign Asom", maintains that both the Centre and state government have been trying to effect a change in the demographic composition of the state for mere political expediency.

The strident opposition of almost all segments of the society assumes significance against the backdrop of socio-cultural, economic, political, ecological and security-related changes brought about by continued influx from across the borders. The settlement of lakhs of Bangladeshi migrants has drastically altered the demographic composition in many districts especially those bordering Bangladesh. The indigenous people and ethnic groups have already been reduced to minority in those areas. They perceive that their customs, tradition and languages could not be insulated from alien culture if major safeguard measures are not initiated at the earliest.

Moreover, the illegal migrants have threatened the livelihood of scores of indigenous people and disturbed peace and social harmony across the state. Their continuous encroachment of forest and "char" areas is fast emerging as a major environmental issue. The illegal migrants seem determined to make an exhaustive use of the remaining resources of the state. Several NGO's engaged in protecting rich bio-diversity of Assam are worried about its ecological future. Besides, steady decline of the availability of arable land has emerged as a major bone of contention between the illegal migrants and indigenous people. Among other factors, recurrence of violence in the Bodo-dominated districts in Lower Assam has been attributed to land disputes.

The question of giving asylum to the religious minorities of Bangladesh has serious political implications for Assam which goes to the assembly polls in early 2016.In the recent months, both Congress and BJP have been jostling for the crucial support of the Hindu Bengalis who could play a decisive role in many constituencies of the state. The Bangladeshi migrants had long been solidly behind Congress in Assam.

However, cracks developed in its power bastion after BJP picked up the issue of Bangladeshi refugees and began advocating for their citizenship rights on humanitarian grounds. For more than two decades, the question of rehabilitation of Bangladeshi refugees has been an integral part of the BJP's Hinduvta agenda. The BJP leadership has tried to follow the fault lines of politics in Assam where illegal migration is a big issue.The party has made serious inroads into the state at the expense of Congress. Nearly 80% of the Bengali Hindus are reportedly with the BJP. The saffron party racked up the thorny issue of the Bangladeshi migrants just before the assembly polls with the avowed purpose of polarising the polity of Assam along communal lines as the BJP stalwarts believe that such a situation would fetch rich electoral dividends. It is disappointing that the so-called national parties' myopic political agenda is further marginalising North East particularly Assam instead of facilitating the region's integration with the rest of the country.

The problem of Bangladeshi refugees still haunts Assam's polity. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government's recent step to grant refugee status to the lakhs of Bengali Hindus fleeing Bangladesh as a result of religious persecution or fear of it, has added a new twist to the murky politics of illegal migration in Assam.
In a notification issued on September 7, 2015, the NDA government decided to "exempt Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals belonging to minority communities who had entered India on or before December 31, 2014, from the relevant provisions of rules and order made under the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, and the Foreigners Act, 1946", with respect to their entry and stay in the country on humanitarian considerations.

Following this notification, the Bengali Hindus who had migrated from Bangladesh could now stay in India for long. Reports suggest that there are about 1.5 lakh "Doubtful voters" in Assam. Like the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling Congress in the state is also wooing the Bengali Hindu migrants with an eye on the upcoming assembly elections. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, however, clarified that they had just been allowed to stay in India without voting rights.

Meanwhile, the NDA government's decision sparked sharp reactions from various organisations and political parties of the state. Several indigenous groups have been vociferously protesting against the BJP-led government's attempts to divide the people of Assam along religious and linguistic parameters to derive electoral benefits. They are urging the Centre to immediately revoke the notification as Assam is not in a position to accommodate migrants irrespective of their religious background. All the organisations of Assam want the union government to rehabilitate the refugees to other states saying Assam can not bear the burden anymore.

The question of permanent settlement of Bangladeshi refugees often created volatile situation in the past and continues to be a prickly issue in Assam politics. The influx of migrants from erstwhile East Pakistan to Assam persisted even after the independence of Bangladesh. According to various estimates, nearly 10 million people, including many Hindus took shelter in India during the 1971 war as murderous Pakistan Army and their local collaborators had been particularly targeting non-Muslims. Most of them returned home after the liberation of Bangladesh but a sizeable segment stayed back in Assam. Migrants who crossed over into India on or before March 24, 1971, were accorded "refugee" status and eventually granted citizenship by the government of India.

However, according to the provisions of Assam Accord, any person who has entered Assam after the midnight of March 24, 1971, will be treated as an illegal migrant. Large number of migrants have entered Assam to escape religious persecution, social discrimination and growing threats to their lives and properties in Bangladesh. The plight of these people is seen from a humanitarian perspective. Reports suggest that the total strength of the refugees could be approximately 85 lakhs. A vast majority of them consists of Bengali speaking Hindus. There are also Buddhists, Garos, Rajbongshis, Adivashis and Bishnupriya Manipuris among the refugees.

Political parties outside North East are not opposed to granting citizenship rights to the refugees coming from neighbouring South Asian countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh under difficult conditions though they refrain from making public statements on such matters considering their sensitivities. But the BJP is vocal on the plight of minority nationals of other South Asian countries and often raises the issue on the eve of elections. Narendra Modi and other top BJP leaders pledged to the voters of Assam during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls that Bangladeshi refugees would not be treated as foreigners and rehabilitated in Assam or else where. The party leaders maintain that the minorities, both ethnic and religious, continue to suffer especially in Bangladesh due to the resurgence of religious extremism and hence should be treated sympathetically.

The NDA government's recent decision to grant refugee status to the Bangladeshi Hindus has angered many in Assam. They are totally opposed to the government's initiatives to rehabilitate lakhs of Bangladeshi refugees in the state. The local student bodies and pressure groups maintain that both the mainstream political parties like BJP and Congress are indulging in "vote-bank politics" at the expense of Assam's larger interests. Their leaders believe that the permanent settlement of Bangladeshi refugees mostly of non-Muslim origin would not only put tremendous pressure on state's dwindling resources, disturb social cohesion and threaten political stability in the sensitive North Eastern region but also endanger distinct culture and identity of indigenous people of the state.

Assam's own regional party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), whose frontline leaders actively participated in the anti-foreigners movement for six years (1979-85), has vehemently opposed the government's move. Former Chief Minister and a signatory of the Assam Accord, Prafulla Mahanta though agreed on principle that these refugees should be treated on humanitarian grounds, he does not want Assam to shoulder all the responsibility.

Paresh Baruah-led United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) or ULFA (I) has joined the bandwagon and threatened to launch attack if the Centre provides shelter to any illegal immigrant in the state. The militant outfit said it would target all infiltrators who are trying to settle in the state. The ULFA (I), which is opposed to dialogue with the government and has vowed to continue armed struggle to realise a "sovereign Asom", maintains that both the Centre and state government have been trying to effect a change in the demographic composition of the state for mere political expediency.

The strident opposition of almost all segments of the society assumes significance against the backdrop of socio-cultural, economic, political, ecological and security-related changes brought about by continued influx from across the borders. The settlement of lakhs of Bangladeshi migrants has drastically altered the demographic composition in many districts especially those bordering Bangladesh. The indigenous people and ethnic groups have already been reduced to minority in those areas. They perceive that their customs, tradition and languages could not be insulated from alien culture if major safeguard measures are not initiated at the earliest

Moreover, the illegal migrants have threatened the livelihood of scores of indigenous people and disturbed peace and social harmony across the state. Their continuous encroachment of forest and "char" areas is fast emerging as a major environmental issue. The illegal migrants seem determined to make an exhaustive use of the remaining resources of the state. Several NGO's engaged in protecting rich bio-diversity of Assam are worried about its ecological future. Besides, steady decline of the availability of arable land has emerged as a major bone of contention between the illegal migrants and indigenous people. Among other factors, recurrence of violence in the Bodo-dominated districts in Lower Assam has been attributed to land disputes.

The question of giving asylum to the religious minorities of Bangladesh has serious political implications for Assam which goes to the assembly polls in early 2016.In the recent months, both Congress and BJP have been jostling for the crucial support of the Hindu Bengalis who could play a decisive role in many constituencies of the state. The Bangladeshi migrants had long been solidly behind Congress in Assam.

However, cracks developed in its power bastion after BJP picked up the issue of Bangladeshi refugees and began advocating for their citizenship rights on humanitarian grounds. For more than two decades, the question of rehabilitation of Bangladeshi refugees has been an integral part of the BJP's Hinduvta agenda. The BJP leadership has tried to follow the fault lines of politics in Assam where illegal migration is a big issue.

The party has made serious inroads into the state at the expense of Congress. Nearly 80% of the Bengali Hindus are reportedly with the BJP. The saffron party racked up the thorny issue of the Bangladeshi migrants just before the assembly polls with the avowed purpose of polarising the polity of Assam along communal lines as the BJP stalwarts believe that such a situation would fetch rich electoral dividends. It is disappointing that the so-called national parties' myopic political agenda is further marginalising North East particularly Assam instead of facilitating the region's integration with the rest of the country.

Dr. Rupak Bhattacharjee is an independent political analyst based in New Delhi.