Remove Bangladeshi migrants from Assam electoral rolls: BJP
By IANSMonday, January 3, 2011
NEW DELHI - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday urged the Election Commission to delete the names of illegal migrants from Bangladesh from the voters list in Assam and prepare a corrected list ahead of this years assembly polls in the state.
BJP general secretary Vijay Goel, who led a delegation of party leaders and MPs from Assam to the Election Commission Monday, also demanded citizenship status to “displaced Hindu Bengalis from Bangladesh living in Assam”.
He said 82 of 126 assembly seats in the state had recorded over seven percent annual growth in the size of electorate between 2004 and 2006.
“Of these 82 constituencies, 18 recorded over 10 percent annual growth in size of electorate,” he said, adding there was “abnormal increase” of 61 lakh in the state’s electorate between 1991 and 2010.
“We urged the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to delete the names of Bangladeshis and prepare a correct list before the assembly polls, Goel said.
He said the delegation was told by the Election Commission that it was aware of the issue of illegal migrants and a team of its officials will visit the state.
The party also gave a four-page memorandum addressed to the CEC, which said that Assams voter list contains “lakhs and lakhs of illegal foreigners”.
“Illegal migrants from Bangladesh have fully enrolled themselves in the voters’ lists, ready to take over political power of the state in 2011 assembly elections of Assam. Bangladeshis are now ready to become kings in 2011 assembly polls,” the memorandum said.
