In response to a written question put forward in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said that there are around two crore illegal migrants staying in India.
He said that there are reports of Bangladeshi nationals having entered the country without valid travel documents. It is not possible to have accurate data of the number of Bangladeshi nationals living in India, he said, because many enter bypassing any formal registration process.
Rijiju said deportation of foreign national staying illegally in the country is a continuous process.
During the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the then BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had said that “Bangladeshis” will be deported if he comes to power.
“They have been given the red carpet welcome by politicians just for votes. You can write it down. After May 16, these Bangladeshis better be prepared with their bags packed,” Modi had said at an election rally in Serampore in West Bengal, which shares a porous border with Bangladesh.
Assam and West Bengal are the two states where the alleged illegal infiltration from Bangladesh is highest. Assam had witnessed a six-year-long agitation between 1979-85 against the illegal immigrants.
{{/usCountry}}Assam and West Bengal are the two states where the alleged illegal infiltration from Bangladesh is highest. Assam had witnessed a six-year-long agitation between 1979-85 against the illegal immigrants.
{{/usCountry}}Illegal immigration from Bangladesh has been a major issue for many students, social and political organisations in the Northeast.
The 2014 election manifesto of BJP said that the party will review and improve the border management and “punitive measures will be introduced to check illegal immigration”.
The BJP said it will address the issue of infiltration and illegal immigrants in the Northeast region on a priority basis and this will include clear policy directions and effective control at the ground level.
Bangladesh and India share a 4,096-kilometer long international border.