Will stick to '14 cutoff to identify illegal migrants, says Tripura CM
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Agartala: In a decisive move to clarify its stance on the contentious issue of illegal migration, Tripura chief minister Manik Saha reaffirmed on Monday that the state govt will adhere to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), which designates Dec 31, 2014, as the cut-off date for granting Indian citizenship.
This announcement comes amid mounting pressure from the ruling BJP's coalition partner, Tipra Motha, led by royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman. The party has been urging both central and state govts to recognise individuals who entered India post-1971, in line with the Indira-Mujib Accord, as illegal immigrants.
Tipra Motha has been actively campaigning for a comprehensive revision of the electoral roll to identify foreign nationals who settled in Tripura after 1971.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has invited the party for a meeting on Wednesday to discuss these demands. Additionally, Tipra Motha has established district-level committees to identify illegal migrants using fraudulent documents.
However, Saha emphasised that BJP's approach to infiltration diverges significantly from Tipra Motha's, particularly concerning the citizenship cut-off year. He reiterated that, according to central govt guidelines, only those who fled religious persecution in Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Bangladesh and entered India by Dec 31, 2014, are eligible for citizenship under the CAA.
Those arriving after this date will be classified as illegal migrants.
To address the issue, the state govt has formed a Special Task Force (STF) to identify illegal infiltrators. District magistrates and police officials have been directed to enhance surveillance and take swift action when necessary. Saha said collaboration with security and border forces has led to a reduction in illegal entries into Tripura in recent months.
The illegal immigration debate has intensified following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent comments at a rally in Durgapur, West Bengal. In response, BJP-led states, including Tripura, have bolstered their anti-infiltration strategies.
In West Tripura district, a 15-member task force, led by the SP, has been deployed to identify Bangladeshis living illegally. The govt is reportedly developing a separate mechanism to manage those identified as illegal immigrants, though the use of detention centers, like those in Assam, remains uncertain.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has accused BJP of labelling Bengali migrant workers as Bangladeshis and deporting them, sparking an outcry and a renewed assertion of Bengali identity by Trinamool Congress.
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