Raijor Dal chief and Sibsagar MLA Akhil Gogoi on Monday criticised the Assam government’s pushback of alleged illegal Bangladeshi nationals, claiming the exercise had “no legal validity” and accusing the BJP government of turning a “non-issue into a political issue”.
Addressing reporters, Gogoi alleged that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was using the pushback issue to keep the debate on illegal immigration alive without establishing a legal mechanism for the deportation of undocumented migrants.
“Himanta Biswa Sarma is such a person who makes a non-issue into an issue. The issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants can only be resolved through talks with Bangladesh. Till date, the Assam government has not held any bilateral discussion with its counterpart, nor has any mechanism been created to push back illegal Bangladeshis,” Gogoi said.
He maintained that while illegal immigration remained a serious concern in Assam, the government’s pushback strategy lacked legal backing. Gogoi urged the Union government to hold discussions with Bangladesh and reach an agreement to facilitate the return of illegal Bangladeshi nationals detained in India.
The Raijor Dal leader also renewed the demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for six communities in Assam, reminding Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his 2016 election promise to grant ST status to the Tai Ahom, Chutia, Moran, Matak, Koch-Rajbongshi and Tea Tribes (Adivasi) communities.
Rejecting the government’s stand that the matter was under examination by a committee, Gogoi said a Bill to grant ST status to the six communities had already been introduced in 2019 and urged the Centre to fulfil its commitment by passing the legislation.
Commenting on education activist Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike, Gogoi expressed concern over his health and appealed to the Prime Minister to initiate talks with the concerned stakeholders.
He also demanded the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alleging repeated examination paper leaks, and called for measures to prevent such incidents to safeguard the future of students.
