Guwahati, 31 Jul: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said infiltration of Rohingyas into India has significantly increased, and the threat of demographic invasion is both real and serious.
”Rohingyas are continuously coming to India using the India-Bangladesh border and many states are suffering from the demographic invasion”, Sarma said at a press conference here.
Assam is guarding only a part of the Indo-Bangladesh border but a large area is still porous, he added.
”I request the government of India to strengthen vigil along the border with Bangladesh, particularly in West Bengal, which is a weak link for the security of the country”, the CM said. West Bengal and Jharkhand governments are soft on these infiltrators and have taken no action to stop it, he alleged.
”In fact, West Bengal’s Chief Minister gave a statement that the state will give shelter to those coming from Bangladesh, a position that has not been endorsed by the government of the neighbouring country”, Sarma said.
This statement has raised a question on ”how committed are they in resolving the infiltration issue. The issue of illegal influx is real and serious”, he said.
”West Bengal is very soft on infiltration. When a Chief Minister says I am going to open the borders…….give relief and rehabilitation, it indicates that the situation is very grim”, Sarma said.
”I have seen demographic invasions in Assam, Jharkhand and West Bengal. When the census is conducted, there will be shocking news on demography in Eastern India states”, Sarma said.
Demographic invasion is taking place mainly due to the appeasement policy and if this continues, a ”situation may arise when it cannot be controlled as most of the states are now suffering from it”, he said.
In Assam, the situation is different as people are very much aware of the demographic invasion, he added.
“During the Assam agitation against illegal foreigners, people warned that the issues faced by the state would eventually impact the entire country, and we are seeing that come to pass now,” Sarma added.
He added that if the voters list of 2024 and 2019 are compared, the demographic change will be evident.
The state government has launched a project using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to analyse changes in religious demographics and ratios, Sarma added.
Assam and Tripura governments have taken strong steps in this matter with police in both the states arresting several Rohingya infiltrators on several occasions, he said.
”Assam is no longer a safe haven for the Rohingyas as we do not follow a soft policy. Our situation is better than West Bengal and Jharkhand and has not worsened since the BJP government has come to power”, the Chief Minister added. (PTI)