There is a difference of opinion between Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on the issue of illegal immigration from Bangladesh into the North- east. Gogoi says that the influx is not a major problem. Rio says that the region is being overrun by large scale infiltration from the neighbouring country and has asserted that it is a must to protect the indigenous population. It may change the demography of the region. 99 % of the outer boundary of the North-east is shared with foreign countries and only 1% with mainland India. The North-east is crucial and strategic in multiple aspects of security, trade, commerce and connectivity. It is a gateway to ASEAN. All this makes it imperative to focus more on the threat posed by illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Rio says the North-east has the potential to be the key to an unfolding drama involving India, China and ASEAN. At the same time, it could be a battleground for powerful countries on the border which are playing proxy wars with each other in the area. Besides, the region can become a corridor for illegal trade in drugs and arms.
It is unlikely that Gogoi and Rio differ on the main points highlighted by the latter. They disagree on whether illegal immigration from Bangladesh has polluted the atmosphere in the North-east significantly. It may party be due to the fact that Gogoi is in the UPA while Rio belongs to the NDA and the two alliances are now at loggerheads. While the threat of the influx may be magnified, it is admitted by both the government at the Centre and the Opposition that it is a factor to reckon with Salman Khurshid should promptly take the matter up with Bangladesh. The reason the issue is hanging fire may be that political elements in Assam rely on the vote bank represented by illegal Muslim immigrants.
