Guwahati, Oct. 30: The Assam BJP took up the cause of displaced Bangladeshi Hindus at a daylong meeting held here today. It requested the government not to brand them as illegal migrants.
Though the party is against influx from Bangladesh, it classifies migrant Hindus as refugees. State BJP president Ranjit Dutta said the BJP's stand is that any Hindu who crossedover to Assam from Bangladesh is a refugee as they are victims of religious and political persecution. “We will oppose any move to brand such displaced Hindus living in Assam as illegal migrants,” he said.
Several senior state BJP leaders, including Kabindra Purkayastha and Rajen Gohain attended the meeting.
The BJP’s selective stand on the issue could snowball into a crisis since All Assam Students Union, Asom Gana Parishad — with which the party had an election tie-up— and other like-minded organisations are demanding deportation of illegal migrants as per Assam Accord irrespective of their religion or the language they speak._The BJP leaders who spoke at meeting held at Bishnu Nirmala Trust Auditorium at Latasil recalled that soon after independence, the Union government has assured unconditional citizenship to Hindus, who migrated to India (from Pakistan, including present Bangladesh) after Partition.
BJP MP from Guwahati Bijoya Chakraborty said that Hindus who have migrated to Assam from Bangladesh due to persecution should be considered as refugees as their condition is no different from those who migrated to India from West Pakistan after partition.
Several senior state BJP leaders, including Kabindra Purkayastha, Rajen Gohain and Mission Ranjan Das, among others also attended the meeting.
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