'Illegal Bangladeshis have no business to be in India'

Indicating stricter measures to check illegal immigration from Bangladesh, Home Minister P Chidambaram has said nationals from that country have "no business" to be in India without permission.

Indicating stricter measures to check illegal immigration from Bangladesh, Home Minister P Chidambaram has said nationals from that country have "no business" to be in India without permission and that there is "no reason" why a large number of visas are being issued to them every month.

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Chidambaram, who has been taking a close look at the security set up in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, voiced concern over the "very ineffective" monitoring system to check whether a Bangladeshi coming to India has returned to his country after expiry of his visa or stayed on. Noting that illegal immigration was causing "unexpected" demographic changes in Assam and West Bengal, he said, "I don't regard a Bangladeshi as a Muslim or a non-Muslim. He is a Bangladeshi. He has no business to come to India unless he has a visa. He has no business to live here unless he has a residence permit.

"He has no business to work here unless he has a work permit. He is a Bangladeshi. His religion is completely irrelevant," he told NDTV.

To a question on steps to end illegal immigration, the home minister said, "I am now looking into what is happening on our borders, passport control points...I think we issue a very large number of visas to Bangladeshis every month. "There is no reason to issue so many visas. And there is very ineffective monitoring system (to check) whether the guy has gone back to Bangladesh or remained here," Chidambaram said.