New Delhi: Even as the Congress party mounted its attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday over the draft National Register of Citizens in Assam, it has emerged that 13 years back, it was the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre that had expressed fears over the presence of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Assam. In fact, it was feared that Assam could one day have a Bangladeshi chief minister.
Times Now has learned from a deep throat in the UPA-1 government that a secret meeting was held in 2005 under the chairmanship of then prime minister Manmohan Singh on national security, at which Congress leaders had acknowledged the threat posed by illegal immigrants. The meet was specifically called to discuss the influx of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Assam.
At the same meeting, two senior United Progressive Alliance ministers had apprised the top government leadership about the demographic change Assam was undergoing and how the time was not far when the northeastern state could have a Bangladeshi CM.
P Chidambaram had at the meeting held at the PM’s residence – 7, Race Course Road - stressed on the need to have strict visa rules in place for Bangladeshis. Pranab Mukherjee had supported Chidambaram and even suggested that the same could be the situation in West Bengal if the problem was not taken care of.
It also slammed the BJP and its chief Amit Shah for seeking to brand any questions on the process as a support to illegal Bangladesh immigrants. Congress has said that the NRC should reflect the aspirations of the Assamese people and not become a tool in the hands of a few to divide the society.
"The issue that the Congress is highlighting is that a large number of Indians have been rendered as refugees in their own country and this was unacceptable," Congress leader Anand Sharma said.