Thousands unite to oust foreigners from Assam

Guwahati, Monday, October 01, 2012

People from different ethnic organisations and religious bodies gther at Sonaram High School playground on Sunday. Jagile Asom, Basibo Desh

Thousands unite to oust foreigners from Assam (Courtsey:-Assam Sandesh) GUWAHATI, Sept 30: Almost 20,000 people converged at the Sonaram High School playground in Guwahati on Sunday. These people were from different communities but what united them was the desire to build a Bangladeshi-free Assam. Under the aegis of the Bangladeshi Mukto Asam Sangrami Manch, which comprises 40 indigenous organizations, a public meeting was held at the Sonaram High School playground. The meeting was presided over by Mising Memack Kebang president Dr Ramesh Pegu. Xatradhikars of seven xatras took part in the meeting, as well as various prominent persons. Slogans like Khed Oi Khed, Bangladeshi Khed and Jagile Asam Basibo Desh, Nohole Hobo Bangladesh rent the air. Uttar Kamlabari Xatra’s xatradhikar Sri Sri Janardan Debagoswami said, “It is time to come out of the political quagmire and set up a Bangladeshi-free Assam. To free Assam from all Bangladeshi immigrants, it is first necessary that the people of Assam start doing their own work. Today, the situation is such that our people need these Bangladeshi immigrants to cook their own food. So first we have to throw them out of our kitchen and then out of this State.” He added, “In Assam, almost 6,000 bighas of xatra land has been encroached upon by illegal immigrants. If we want to retrieve this land, the people of Assam must unite and join the movement against illegal immigrants. We have to wage an economic war against them.” Veteran journalist DN Bezboruah said, “Out of the 27 districts in Assam, Asomiya people have been reduced to a minority in 10 districts. The government has failed to tackle this issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants with the seriousness that it deserves and as a consequence, the identity of the Assamese community is now at stake.” All Assam Tribal Sangha general secretary Aditya Khakhlari said, “All indigenous communities of Assam must unite to solve this problem of illegal influx. The government has neglected the protection of the tribal belts and blocks and hence the indigenous people are suffering now. Had the government included all the indigenous communities of Assam in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution way back in 1961, this problem would have never happened.” Former Chief Secretary, Government of Assam, JP Rajkhowa said, “Manipur and Nagaland have managed to throw out illegal Bangladeshi immigrants but the Assam Government is accepting these immigrants as their own citizens. This is sad. Despite the Supreme Court order, illegal influx of Bangladeshi immigrants continues. These illegal immigrants must be identified and kept in detention camps till they are deported. Their names must be scrapped from the voters’ list.” All Tai Ahom Students’ Union (ATASU) president Pranjal Rajkonwar said, “This movement against foreigners is the second Battle of Saraighat. The State Government, instead of solving the problems of flood and erosion and illegal influx, is indulging in vote-bank politics.” In the meeting, it was decided that illegal influx was threatening the demographic pattern of the State and the time had come for the indigenous people of Assam, irrespective of religion, to unite in this movement against illegal immigrants. Three resolution were passed during the meeting – that all indigenous communities must unite against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, that the Centre and the State Government must identify and deport the illegal immigrants and that all the people affected by flood and erosion must be rehabilitated by the government. (The Sentinel)

Thousands unite against influx

Post Bureau, Guwahati (Sept 30): Thousands of people gathered in the city on Sunday to take part in a convention against influx  of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Members belonging to 30 organisations and religious leaders from all over the state were present at the convention.

Held under the banner of Bangladeshi Mukta Assam Sangrami Mancha, the convention saw organisations representing different indigenous communities, as well as religious groups and several student bodies, come together at the Sonaram High School playground to take a united stand and fight for an illegal immigrant-free Assam.

With the masses shouting anti-Bangladeshi slogans and patriotic shibboleths, the united forum invited all the indigenous people of the state to come together to raise their voice against the issue.

They said the issue of illegal influx has become a matter of deep concern and immediate action must be taken against these immigrants as continuous influx has threatened the life and property of the indigenous people of the state, including the Muslims and other communities.

The immigrants have already robbed the indigenous people off their rights to land and jobs and the trend is such that political life will also be influenced, the forum said. The organisations on Sunday adopted three resolutions to fight influx — irrespective of caste, creed and religion all of them will work together to make the state free from immigrants; that all the Hindu Bangladeshis in the country are refugees and they must be rehabilitated in India and provided citizenships as soon as possible; demand to declare floods of Assam as a national problem.

Satradhikar, Uttar Kamalabari Satra, Janardhan Dev Goswami who was also present at the convention asked the indigenous people of the state not to employ Bangladeshis and block their sources of income so that they are forced to return to their countries.

“Making the state Bangladeshi-free is easy. We must simply take up the initiative to do our own work and employ indigenous labour when needed,” said Dev Goswami.

“In an attempt to employ cheap labour and save some money, we have actually been encouraging influx,” he added. He also pointed out that the immigrants have also grabbed lands of religious places in the state. “Almost 6,000 hectares of satra land all over the state has been occupied,” the Satradhikar alleged.

On the other hand, All Assam Tribal Sangha general secretary, Aditya Khakhlary pressed for a law for birth control and marriage in the state. “If we need to restrict the tremendous growth of population of the Bangladeshis in the state, we must have a stringent birth control and marriage law through which giving birth to more than two or three children and marrying more than once is restricted,” said Khakhlary.

In the public meeting, more than 30 speakers put forward their suggestions and views towards making the state free from illegal immigrants. People from various sections of the society also took part in the convention.