By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma’s remark that there is no proof about the presence of Bangladeshi infiltrators in Meghalaya has come under fire from the banned HNLC.
Dr Sangma made the observation on the final day of the Autumn Session of the Assembly on Friday.
Terming Dr Sangma as ‘Cheap Minister’, the HNLC publicity secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw said the statement of Dr Sangma was misleading.
“How can we forget the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 during which more than 10 million Bangladeshi Hindus came to seek refuge in the Northeastern region, including Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur and other parts of India,” Nongtraw said in a statement issued here on Saturday.
The outfit’s publicity secretary also said that the same people who came to India were given the status of refugees because they belonged to the Hindu community as there was unrest in East Pakistan between Bengali Muslims and Bengali Hindus at that point of time.
“It has been 41 years now and we can roughly calculate as to what extent the 10 million refugees and their offspring increased in our state as well as our neighboring states,” the statement said.
“An example is the refugee colony Umpling where we can see people who were refugees are now businessmen and they have constructed buildings in their area. They are also giving houses at rent at an exorbitant price,” he alleged.
He pointed out that the same Bangladeshi Hindu refugees have obtained EPICs, ration cards, pan cards, trading licenses among others and are enjoying all the luxuries of the gifts by the Government of India and Meghalaya. “These refugees and their off springs have spread their roots all across the State in areas like Laban, Jail Road, Polo, Khyndailad, Rynjah, Mawprem, Mawbah, Laitumkhrah,” Nongtraw said.
He also said that one cannot forget that the Indo-Nepal treaty of 1950 has brought much destruction to the demography of the state as places like Nongmynsong, Mawbah, Jhalupara and Mawprem, have also been heavily infested by Nepali foreigners.