NEW DELHI, July 23 ? In a major turn-around, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today retracted its claim that there were 50 lakh illegal Bangladeshis in Assam on the plea that the reported figures were not based on any comprehensive study but were based on hearsay and that too from interested parties! The statement made in the Rajya Sabha, this afternoon, by Minister of State, Manik Rao Gavit on behalf of Minister of State Sriprakash Jaiswal was lost in the din in the House over Shibu Soren affair. The Minister promptly made the statement in the Upper House soon after business was resumed in the afternoon.
It was listed as a statement correcting the reply given in the Rajya Sabha on the July 14, regarding ?deportation of illegal Bangladeshi migrants?. The one para-statement said that the estimated number of illegal immigrants reported by the field organisation had a clarificatory note, which was inadvertently not seen. The clarificatory note made it clear that the reported figures were not based on any comprehensive or sample study but were based on hearsay and that too from interested parties. Therefore, no realistic figures can be given for illegal Bangladeshi migrants in Assam, the Union Home Minister said.
In case of West Bengal also the figures are based on unreliable estimates and are incorrect, the Minister further clarified. But far from the issue dying down, fresh controversy is likely to arise as the BJP has threatened to file a complaint of breach of privilege against Sri Prakash Jaiswal for misleading the House. The president of Assam BJP and Rajya Sabha MP, Indramoni Bora said that he would discuss the issue with the leaders of the BJP Parliamentary Board before filing a breach of Privilege notice. ?How can a Ministry of Central Government say that it has furnished a reply in the House on the basis of hearsay,? an agitated Bora asked. ?The BJP will not take things lying down and we will try to floor the Government on this issue,? Sri Bora said.
Meanwhile, the Home Ministry?s clarification was in line with the statement by Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh in Guwahati when he said that source of the information was yet to be ascertained. He also questioned the authenticity of the figures quoted by Jaiswal on the issue ?One does not know how these estimates were made and how reliable are these figures. We are committed to solve the problem of foreign nationals illegally entering and staying in our country. But what is the precise magnitude of the problem remains to be ascertained,? he said.
The matters came to a head after Congress-ruled State Government raised a hue-and-cry and shot off angry letters to Delhi protesting the statement. The reply, Sri Gogoi said was fraught with serious political implications.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Gogoi said that the figures stated by Jaiswal were not based on facts and should have been verified from the State Government, ?as it was a very sensitive issue fraught with serious political implications.? The statement made by the Union Minister without verifying it from the State Government has created confusion and consternation in the minds of the people in general and among the linguistic and religious minority population in particular, he had said.
The Minister?s reply apparently based on the report of the Group of Minister on Internal Security, stirred a hornet?s nest in Assam and the sharp reaction of the State Government left officials in the MHA shaken. In his reply, the Minister of State gave away State-wise break up of the illegal migrants living in the country. According to the estimate around 1,20,53,950 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were in India. Out of these a bulk were living in Assam and West Bengal (57 lakh).