Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Thursday that a high-level committee formed by the Centre to examine “artificial” demographic changes, including those caused by illegal immigration, will also assess the necessity of a new law to address the issue.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the committee, tasked with reviewing remedial measures for demographic shifts, will submit its report within a year. The committee is headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar.
A notification from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs established the High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes (HLCDC), highlighting that “extensive challenges” have emerged due to demographic transformations driven by illegal immigration and other unnatural factors. The committee is mandated to investigate the causes behind these “artificial” demographic shifts occurring nationwide.
Shah stated that the committee will deliberate on required remedial measures and will specifically address the need for any necessary legislation. He reiterated the government’s determination to identify and deport every infiltrator from the country, a move initiated under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directive to form the demographic change committee.
Addressing the issue of infiltration from Bangladesh, Shah criticised the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal. He claimed that the situation has improved following the assembly elections, which saw the Bharatiya Janata Party gain significant ground. Shah asserted that the BJP now governs 80 per cent of India’s landmass and that the Chief Minister of West Bengal faced a considerable defeat in the recent elections.
The Home Minister pointed to the BJP’s electoral successes across various regions, stating that the party had successfully established its presence from Uttarakhand to Gangasagar. He recalled the BJP’s pre-election promise to expedite border fencing work along the Bangladesh border upon assuming power.
Shah praised the actions taken by the West Bengal government, noting that 600 hectares of land were promptly transferred to the Border Security Force for fencing work within seven days of the new administration taking office. Additionally, 121 hectares of land in the strategically important Chicken’s Neck corridor, also known as the Siliguri Corridor, which connects India’s northeastern states with the rest of the country, has been transferred to the Government of India.
Citing media reports, Shah indicated that some infiltrators have begun returning to Bangladesh voluntarily. He contrasted this with the situation previously, claiming that infiltrations occurred daily under the previous government in West Bengal. While detention centres have been established in the state, the government’s preference is for illegal immigrants to return to their countries of origin voluntarily.
Shah expressed hope that a significant number of individuals would depart voluntarily before an identification drive commences. He assured that if they leave of their own accord, the West Bengal government would not only refrain from initiating legal cases against them but would also provide assistance to facilitate their departure.
The Chenab Times News Desk