Patriotic People’s Front Assam urges Centre to implement strict policy against illegal migrants

A regional forum of nationalist citizens has called on the Union government to adopt a stringent policy to detect and deport illegal migrants, particularly those from Bangladesh, in light of the growing threat they pose to India. The Patriotic People’s Front Assam (PPFA) voiced concern that successive governments have failed to address the issue, and warned that urgent action is needed to prevent the majority Hindu population from being displaced from their own regions.

In a statement, the PPFA emphasized that during a 2016 Rajya Sabha debate, it was revealed that an estimated 20 million illegal Bangladeshi nationals were residing in India, a number that has only increased since the previous estimate of 12 million in 2014. The group also raised alarms over the continued influx of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, entering India through Bangladesh, which could further escalate the issue.

The PPFA reminded the nation that Assam had raised the alarm about illegal Bangladeshi migration in the 1980s. Despite early warnings, the issue was largely ignored by political leaders and intellectuals, which has led to the current crisis, with Assam’s resources being overrun. The forum argued that if the migration problem had been addressed during the 1979-1985 Assam agitation, the country would not be facing this crisis today.

The forum also noted a rising national awareness about the illegal migrant issue, with mainstream media increasingly covering it. However, the PPFA questioned whether political parties, regardless of their position in government or opposition, would come together to make decisive steps to identify and deport illegal migrants. If immediate deportation is not feasible due to international obligations, the PPFA urged that these individuals should be denied the right to vote and other advantages.


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