[Reader-list] News Items posted on the net on Multipurpose National Identity Cards-21

[Taha Mehmood]

 http://www.telegraphindia.com/1030203/asp/northeast/story_1632744.asp

The Telegraph
Monday, February 03, 2003

'Foreigner' tag on Hindu migrants
OUR CORRESPONDENT

*Shillong, Feb. 2: *The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement
(KHNAM), the political wing of the Khasi Students' Union (KSU), has decided
to make influx of Hindus into Meghalaya a poll issue. The party wants to
deny legal status to Hindu migrants who entered the state after March 24,
1971.

Party president Paul Lyngdoh released a policy statement, which said:
"Illegal Hindu migrants who have infiltrated after March 24, 1971, should
not be granted refugee status".

The policy statement, entitled "Meghalaya's economy and agenda for action",
said it would treat migrants coming after the cut-off date as "illegal".

According to the policy statement, "the relentless entry of people from
other regions of the country is a threat to the indigenous people of the
state".

It claimed that "the exact number of 'illegal foreigners' who have entered
the state is not available nor the numbers of the floating Indian
population".

While holding successive state governments responsible "for failure" to
implement the provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946, the policy statement
said the problem of influx, if not checked, would "cause serious demographic
imbalance in the state".

The party emphatically announced in its policy statement that it would bring
about major changes if voted to power. It said it would issue multipurpose
photo identity cards to genuine citizens while a revised version of the
inner line permit system, keeping all its plus points intact, would be
introduced.

Other political parties in the state, however, have dismissed fears of
"influx by Hindus" as "misleading" and a "catchy political issue".

Senior Congress legislator from Mawprem constituency, D.N. Joshi, was of the
opinion that "there cannot be any cut-off year for people of Indian origin,
be they Hindus or from any other religion". He was critical of the fact that
while infiltration occurs from across the Bangladesh border, Hindus
belonging to the country were being made scapegoats.

"People from the country have the right to settle anywhere and even the
Centre would not prevent Indians from moving about in their own country," he
said.

Pointing out the "dwindling" non-tribal population in the state, Joshi said
"due to stringent measures" such as the bar on purchase of land and lack of
jobs, people from the non-tribal community have been compelled to migrate.
BJP legislator from Pynthormukhrah, Alexander Laloo Hek, also felt that such
laws could not be imposed. Though he did not want to comment on the issue,
he sounded sceptical whether a state could raise such a demand.
  [image: Top]<http://www.telegraphindia.com/1030203/asp/northeast/story_1632744.asp#top>