A volatile issue

We appreciate Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's concern over the problem of infiltration from across the international border in the North-East region. We are happy to note that the Union Home Ministry is seized with the matter and would formulate a plan soon to effectively check infiltration of foreign nationals in the region.

Infiltration in the North-East is not a new phenomenon. Protests against outsiders were registered even before the Independence. Way back in the thirties, renowned Assamese poet Ambikagiri Roy Chowdhuri had highlighted the fact that influx of the people from outside to Assam would affect the State's economy adversely, besides creating a bilingual Assam.
Situated in close proximity to Bangladesh, China and Myanmar, the seven States of the North-East have suffered the most from the problem of influx than any other states of the country. The situation turned to worse when there was a substantial rise in the refugee population in the region. The unchecked inflow of infiltrators and refugees to the region has created such a situation that in some states the number of outsiders is so high that it has either outnumbered the local populace or is fast threatening to do so.

Tripura is an unique example of this. The State can no longer be considered as a tribal State. The non-tribals are now in a majority in the State. Similarly, in Assam, the number of non-Assamese speaking people is on the rise. It is obvious that the indigenous people could no longer remain indifferent towards this issue and sometimes the anger against the outsiders gave birth of few furious protests.

The reason behind this apathy towards the outsiders is easily understandable. Rise in the number of outsiders means extra burden on the economy which in turn increases the hardships of the local people. In the case of Assam, many students feared that if the influx of the foreigners goes on unabated, they would be deprived of employment and means to earn a livelihood even after completion of their studies.

Few months back, Assam Governor Lt. Gen. (retd) S. K. Sinha also expressed the same apprehensions. In a letter to the Central Government he analysed the whole situation and asked the Centre to act before it was too late. The Prime Minister's statement in Aizawl is heartening from this point also that the Centre has not ignored the 'voice of concern' of the Assam Governor.

According to unofficial figures, there are at least 1.5 crore illegal migrants from Bangladesh in the North-East region. Three lakhs such migrants from the same country come to the region every year. If the unofficial figures are to be believed, then it must be said that in the volatile North-Eastern states, illegal migrants are not only threat to the demographic set-ups, but also to national security.

In the recent past, there was a proposal to grant work permits to the people who are entering the North-East for greener pastures. But many organisations of the region like All Assam Students Union (AASU) rejected the proposal saying that it would not help to retrieve the situation. Thus the proposal is presently lying in the cold storage.

To solve the problem, it is imperative that the Centre ensures that large scale immigration does not destroy the socio-cultural fabric or threaten the economy of the indigenous people. If the Centre fails to do so, the issue of influx will definitely stretch the indigenous people's tolerance to the limits even as their fear of being swamped by the aliens heightens. The Centre should take note of the volatile situation and defuse the crisis by taking appropriate measures before it explodes.