Assam effectively tackling illegal migration, Bengal not cooperating with Centre: Amit Shah

Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that Assam government was very effectively tackling the illegal migration and alleged that the West Bengal government was not cooperating with the Centre in dealing with the illegal infiltration from across the border.

Praising the Assam government for strongly tackling illegal migration, Shah, also a senior BJP leader, said that the central government has been trying to curb the illegal migration both in Assam and West Bengal, but the Bengal government is not cooperating with the Centre in dealing with the problem.

"While Assam showed much success in tackling the illegal migration (from across the border), but in Bengal not much progress was found in dealing with the problem," he said while addressing a public rally to mark the first anniversary of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government in Assam.

The Home Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to resolve the infiltration problem and added that Assam is standing rock-solid behind the Centre in tackling the problem.

Referring to his visit to the India-Bangladesh border at Mankachar in western Assam on Monday, he said that much efforts including border fencing were taken in the state to curb the illegal migration and as the efforts were on, this problem would be fully resolved within a year.

Noting that the BJP government since 2016, replaced the agitation, violence and militancy by peace and development, Shah said that the cattle smuggling to Bangladesh through Assam, has been almost stopped.

Highlighting the various flagship schemes of the Assam government, Shah said that over 33,000 Bighas of land had been freed from the illegal encroachment and activities of the land mafia and poaching of rhino have been curbed.

Declaring that Assam and the northeastern region would be made a health hub, the Home Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who according to him visited 50 times in the northeastern region, the states of the region would be at par with the other states of the country in terms of growth and development.