Odisha Mayor Sulochana Das draws ire for ‘supporting’ Bangladeshi settlers
BHUBANESWAR: Mayor Sulochana Das on Thursday faced severe protests in Niladri Vihar area of ward no 14 for allegedly making comments in favour of the Bangladeshi immigrants.
Raising ‘go back’ slogans, the protesters also showed black flags to Das who had visited the area in the morning for a ward-level grievance hearing programme of the BMC, accusing her of being a supporter of the Bangladeshi immigrants.
They questioned the mayor as to how the illegal immigrants from the neighbouring country were provided ration cards when hundreds of genuine beneficiaries in the city have been deprived of the facility for years. They demanded a clarification on the matter from Das and accountability from the local administration in the matter.
Echoing similar allegations, BJP leader and Ekamra-Bhubaneswar MLA Babu Singh asked the mayor if she was above the government. The party activists also took out a rally on Janpath road in this connection.
After the government authorities in the state announced that the illegal settlers from Bangladesh will be identified and repatriated back to their country, the mayor reportedly remarked on some TV media that it was difficult to send back the Bangladeshi immigrants who are now settled here and have voter ID and ration cards. “The responsibility to keep the immigrants, living as citizens of this country, is ours,” she had said.
The mayor, however, clarified that her remarks were construed out of context. “I have always stressed that national security should be our first priority and we will take whatever action the government suggests once the infiltrators are identified.”
BJD corporator Amaresh Jena said action should be taken against those who have allowed Bangladeshis to settle unauthorisedly in the city.