Rajnath Singh discussed Bangladeshi immigrant issue: Dubey

DUMKA: Union home minister Rajnath Singh has drawn up a plan to deal with the issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Sources said Singh held a meeting with the state authorities on the issue during his visit to Dumka on Friday. Singh was in Dumka to attend an event to commemorate 1,000 days of the BJP-led government in the state.

"Singh was carrying with him a detailed plan of his ministry on illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. He discussed the plan with the state authorities for suitable steps to be taken by the Jharkhand government for its execution at the earliest," BJP's Godda MP Nishikant Dubey told TOI on Saturday. Dubey has always been vocal against the issue both in the Parliament and in public meetings.

Dubey said Singh held an exclusive meeting with the chief minister Raghubar Das, chief secretary Rajbala Verma and DGP D K Pandey at the Ranchi airport for half an hour over the issue before flying back to New Delhi on Friday evening.

Singh had refrained from making any references to the Bangladeshi immigrant issue during his speech at Friday's event and this had disappointed a section of BJP workers. Singh had instead spoken at length on the Left-wing extremism while addressing a mammoth gathering at Dumka airport, the venue of Garib Vikas Mela organised by the state government to mark the concluding event of the 1,000 days celebration.

"The settlement of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in large number in Santhal Pargana and other parts of the state has not only been proving costly to the dominance of local ethnic groups in terms of fast-changing demography of the region, but also poses serious threats on national security," a senior BJP functionary said.

"Sleeper cells of Bangladesh-based terrorist organisations have been operating in parts of Santhal Pargana through the illegal immigrants. This has already come to the fore following Burdwan bomb explosions," said Radhekrishna Mallick, a businessman, who attended the event on Friday. The NIA had unearthed links of some of the accused of this case had to Pakur and Sahibganj districts. Two persons had been arrested in this regard

Dubey, however, said the Centre was sensitive towards the issue and fencing of the international border with Bangladesh was one of the steps towards that direction.