Influx from Bangladesh not by minority Hindus but 'majority community' members: Assam CM

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that the influx from Bangladesh into the state in recent months is mostly by the "majority community" of the neighbouring country and not by the minority Hindus there.

Those who are entering India illegally are workers of the textile industry in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, which are in bad shape following the crisis there, and they want to go to Tamil Nadu to join the same sector, he claimed.

The southern state is ruled by the DMK, a constituent of the INDIA bloc.

"The situation in Bangladesh has led to the collapse of the textile industry in that country. The workers, who are majority there but a minority in our country, are trying to cross the border," the chief minister said during an interaction with journalists here.

They are trying to enter the country to go to the textile industries in Tamil Nadu, and "owners of these industries are incentivising them to come to get cheap labour," he said.

The Hindu minorities in that country are not trying to come now despite facing atrocities there, possibly because they are ‘’very patriotic’’.

They have "behaved in a very mature manner, and no Bangladeshi Hindus have come to Assam during the last five months,” the CM said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working very hard to help create a conducive atmosphere for Hindus and minorities in that country, he added.

"The situation is very alarming, and the Centre is very concerned about it," he claimed.

There has been a massive increase in infiltration since the unrest in Bangladesh, and in the past five months, 20 to 30 people daily tried to enter Assam and Tripura illegally, Sarma said.

The Assam government is not arresting these infiltrators but pushing them back to their own country, he said.

This influx is primarily due to the collapse of the economy of the neighbouring country, he claimed.

"The matter was discussed in the recent North East Council (NEC) meeting in Agartala. I also had a discussion with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in this regard," he said.

The chief minister said that he has also discussed this matter with his counterparts in the North Eastern states and West Bengal.

Regarding the crackdown on members of terror network following the unrest in Bangladesh, Sarma said, "We are working overtime in coordination with NIA and Intelligence (Bureau) resulting in the arrest of 23 people and seizure of huge quantities of arms and ammunition in Assam and other states." "We have to strike at the roots of the terror outfit. With a robust coordination with other agencies, our police achieved success," he said.