GUWAHATI: Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the problem of illegal immigrants in the state was created by the Congress and that the BJP was forced to shoulder that burden now.
“In 2014, Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India and from then on not an ant has entered India,” Sarma told the BJP’s peace and prosperity rally at Jagiroad, while explaining why the cut-off date under the new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was 2014. “Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been asked that not a single Hindu can be touched there,” he said.
“Due to the CAA, no new foreigners will come to Assam from Bangladesh. Those 3-4 lakh people who are eligible to apply under CAA are already here and built a house for themselves; a few even became MLAs,” said Sarma, a former Congress minister in the state who joined the BJP in 2015.
Sarma said Assam was bearing the burden of Congress’ sin in allowing people to illegally enter India. “From 1972 to 2014, who was in power; it was the Congress? So, this problem is manifested by the Congress.”
The government cannot send back the Hindus who entered India due to religious persecution in their countries, he said. “We have the humanitarian consideration and compassion and god has given so much that we can accommodate these people,” the Assam minister said.
He said the tribal people of Assam were keeping away from the protests against CAA.
The BJP is scheduled to hold a few more peace and prosperity rallies in the state in the coming days.
Source: Economic Times
