BJP walks the tightrope over Bangla influx

Guwahati: The BJP faces the daunting task of balancing its stand on Bangladeshi migrants and preservation of Assamese identity in the state.

In the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha election, as BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi had promised to detect and deport Bangladeshi infiltrators once the saffron party came to power. Last year, however, the Modi government decided to grant citizenship to Hindu refugees who migrated from their countries of origin because of religious persecution. The Centre even issued an ordinance offering citizenship to Hindu refugees.

In this assembly election, the issue of infiltration will be one of the major poll planks of BJP, which committed to implementing the Assam Accord in the state. The saffron party even went on to term the upcoming state polls as its next 'battle of Saraighat' to save Assam's identity from the 'onslaught' of Bangladeshi migrants.

"We are very clear on these issues. Illegal migrants from Bangladesh take advantage of the porous international border and BJP is committed to sealing this with fencing. However, Hindu refugees have been victims of persecution and granting citizenship to them is a commitment made on humanitarian grounds," BJP spokesperson Hitendra Nath Goswami said.

In Assam, the influx of migrants from Bangladesh is a touchy issue. The Modi government's offer of citizenship to Hindus triggered a volley of protests across the state by different organizations, including the influential All Assam Students' Union (Aasu). Their contention was that granting citizenship to Hindu refugees would not be feasible for Assam.

Goswami explained that BJP's national leaders, including Modi and Shah, have reiterated that the burden of Hindu refugees would be borne by the entire country, not Assam alone.

Balancing the issue of illegal migrants from Bangladesh while satisfying the large Bengali-speaking Hindu voter base would prove to be a challenge for BJP. The challenge magnified after BJP's alliance with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), the regional party which opposes infiltrators from Bangladesh irrespective of their religious affiliation. The AGP was formed after the signing of Assam Accord in 1985, which put an end to six years of anti-foreigner movement.

The BJP, however, denied that its stand on Bangladeshi migrants was in conflict with its commitment to offering citizenship to Hindu refugees. State BJP leaders said one of the biggest steps taken by the Modi government in dealing with the issue of influx was the land exchange deal with Bangladesh, which, they said, would help proper demarcation of the India-Bangladesh border.