Sunday, July 17, 2005

Bangla migrant Vs Nepali migrant: Bangladeshi is foreigner, Nepali immigrant is welcome

No to Bangladesh (Left), Yes to Nepal (Right)
The Times of India's editorial on the issue of migrants' influx is thought-provoking.

The entire nation and the politicians cutting across the party lines have made the issue of Bangladeshi Muslims' influx as the biggest threat to India.

Strangely, the Marxists are also crying hoarse like the right-wing BJP used to do in the past over the issue.

The communalisation of Indian politics is so intense that on one hand the country has open border with Nepal, the entry of Bangla migrant who is culturally more closer to India is a strict no-no.

Lakhs of Nepalese enter India every year just because Nepal is a Hindu country [though culutrally it was not a part of India. But Bangladesh [that was just 57 years ago part of India], is a Muslim country so the migrants are unwelcome.

What the Bangla migrant does? He mingles easily and lives peacefully. On the other hand many Nepali domestic helps are involved in crimes but there is no anger against them. Had there been even a couple of incidents of crime by Bangla migrants, the national media would have made a great hue and cry.

As long as Hindus came to India from Bangladesh, it was good. The settlements of Bangladeshi Hindus through out the India are reminder to the fact but the last two decades when Muslims started arriving, it has become a big issue.

In Assam, we have similar issue that keeps raging perennially. Read an exhaustive post on the same issue that was written later on this blog. 'Branding the Bangladeshi migrant as terrorist: Illegal immigration or a humanitarian crisis'. Read it here.