BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is garlanded by Asansole BJP candidate and Bollywood singer Babul Supriya. PHOTO: AFP
KOLKATA:
Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, the prime ministerial front-runner in India’s mammoth general election, on Sunday reiterated his strong stance against illegal immigrants, just days after a wave of sectarian killings in the north-eastern state of Assam.
India is in the home stretch of a five-week election in which Modi’s opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) looks set to emerge as the biggest group and which has heightened ethnic and religious tensions in many parts of the country.
India deployed troops in Assam on Saturday after more than 30 Muslims were gunned down in three days of what police said were attacks by Bodo tribal militants, who resent the presence of settlers they claim are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Modi has repeatedly called for tighter immigration controls and recently said illegal immigrants from Bangladesh in the state of West Bengal should have their ‘bags packed’ in case he came to power, accusing the state government of being too soft.
At a rally on Sunday in West Bengal he accused the state government of looking to secure votes from ethnic and religious minorities.
“You are concerned about infiltrators and not your own people ... they must go back, they are robbing the youths of India of their livelihood,” Modi told the rally in West Bengal, which borders Assam. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has condemned the attacks in Assam and his ruling Congress party accused Modi of making divisive comments.
“Modi is a model of dividing India,” said Law Minister Kapil Sibal on Saturday. Critics have long accused the BJP of deep-seated prejudice against India’s Muslims, who make up more than 12 per cent of the country’s 1.2 billion population. The BJP says it only opposes preferential treatment for any community.
“This violence has a long history,” said BJP spokesperson MJ Akbar, referring to the Assam attacks. “This knee-jerk reaction of blaming Narendra Modi for everything is absurd.”
Bangladesh’s Information Ministry did not immediately respond to request for comments on Modi’s latest speech.
Poll rigging
The BJP leader also accused the Election Commission of being biased and failing to prevent booth rigging in West Bengal, Bihar and western Uttar Pradesh.
“Why are you not acting? What is your intention? If you feel wrong about what I am saying now, then you are free to lodge another case against me,” The Times of India quoted Modi as saying.
“It is your responsibility to ensure impartial polls. I am making very serious allegations,” he said accusing the Election Commission of having failed to take action.
Accusing the EC of being biased, he said, “I am putting serious allegations against you. You have failed to stop rigging and violence in these areas. False cases have been filed against our candidate Babul Supriyo. Election Commission’s work is to protect people. I request you to fulfill your responsibilities in the right way.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 5th, 2014.
COMMENTS (17)
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So Pakistanis expect India to keep 7 crore Bangladeshis who are stealing land and jobs from locals?
Even your Arabi masters show no mercy to Bangladeshi muslims.
The Saudis, Kuwaitis, Emiratis, Qataris all round up, incarcerate (sometimes in less than human conditions) and deport every illegal Pakistani and Bangladeshi (not to mention people of all other poor nations) periodically. I have not heard a single Pakistani complain about this. India has every right to deport illegal aliens whether they are Bangladeshis or otherwise. They take away precious resources required by the local population and form a national threat in the long run. if Modi has spelled this out loud, I applaud him for his courage. Most of the ladies who make up the sickular Congress & SP combine dare not to say a word for fear of offending minorities. Modi is defending the rights of the majority and the people of India elect him for exactly that.
@Kala Khan: We have Imran Khan
@A2Z: Then the Bihari refugees who are still languishing in Bangladesh should have been accepted as they are after all Pakistani citizens.
@G. Din: What are you talking about? The hundreds of thousands of Afghan immigrants who live in Pakistan fled their country more than thirty years ago, as a result of the Soviet invasion. It has nothing to do with Pakistani policy.
@Khan: ", not a single incident of violence against them is reported." @Aam Admi Bechara: "@BruteForce: We have been feeding and providing all sorts of facilities to Afghan refugees for around four decade..." Afghan refugees in Pakistan became refugees due to policies of Pakistan government in Afghanistan. So, they served your own purpose. The least you could do for them is to provide them refuge. Bangladeshi immigrants are not in Assam due to any policies of India except that, being Muslim, they served as a vote bank for the Congress government. They were never invited. On the other hand they are trespassers and interlopers.
@Aam Admi Bechara: Ever wondered why not only Afghanistan but also Chinese, Iranians and Indians do the same? Now Iran is trying to build a wall around there borders with you.
If Modi loses in India can we please have him run here in Pakistan...we need someone who has his clear vision and guts to take on the issues everyone is skirting from....
@A2Z:
Afghans are refugees in Pakistan. They are not illegal immigrants. they are allowed by the government of Pakistan to stay. Only illegal Afghan immigrant in Pakistan was Osama.
So, you cannot compare refugees with illegal immigrants of Bangladesh and Pakistan who are working as laborers and taxi drivers in India.
@Mir:
You have a clear cut understanding problem with English. There is nothing communal about sending back illegal immigrants.
@BruteForce: There are at least 1.6 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan at the moment. They are there for the last 30 years, not a single incident of violence against them is reported.
@hmm:
There are communal tensions wherever there are Muslims in significant numbers. Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China, UK, etc.
You gotta ask why is one particular community giving so much trouble, that too all over the world!
@BruteForce: To be honest without any type of prejudice, we don't think them as illegal immigrants. I have lived with Afghanis, studied with them and spend my childhood seeing Afghanis kids but I never ever label them as illegal immigrants. Rather I always wish best for them and pray for the peace in their homeland. As a Muslim my belief is that I will get whatever is written in my fate and those Afghanis will get whatever is written in their fate whether they live in Pakistan or in their own country. These borders, prejudice, nationalism are man made divisions and humanity is suffering due to this.
@BruteForce: We have been feeding and providing all sorts of facilities to Afghan refugees for around four decades now despite the fact that these Afghans when back home would support India and its support of terrorism in Pakistan
We also ant all illegal settlers from India out . Be it a terrorist Pakistani or a poor Bengali . We only care for our countrymen . This is what Indian public demands.
Before reacting to this news, can Pakistanis tell me how they feel about Afghan Refugees?
If you are principally against Illegal immigration, then thanks for supporting whatever Modi has said..
Electing Modi will mean pushing a self destruct button. Already we're seeing heightened communal tension thanks to Modis hate speeches.
At this point, I'd honestly be surprised if he DIDN'T say anything communal.