GUWAHATI: Former Vishva Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia on Wednesday insisted on the deportation of the Bangladeshi Muslim immigrants from the country. At the same time, he said the nation should accept the Hindu immigrants.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that there were 50 lakh Bangladeshi immigrants in Assam. Sadly, only 17 of them have been deported. I feel the Muslim immigrants should be deported. The nation should accept the Hindu immigrants. I will look into the issue of their asylum," Togadia told reporters at a press conference in Guwahati.
He slammed the BJP for failing to live up to its pre-election slogan in Assam of protecting "jati (race)", "mati" (land) and "bheti" (foundation). On the ongoing updation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state, he said the exercise was nothing but eyewash.
Togadia was supposed to address a few events in Guwahati but the police on Tuesday had issued an order directing him to refrain from attending those. He met Guwahati Police Commissioner Hiren Chandra Nath and lodged his protest.
"The right to speech in India is under threat," Togadia told reporters after meeting Nath. The Police Commissioner said: "He (Togadia) gave me a written statement committing that he will not make any comments that will disturb communal harmony. He said he wanted to speak on employment for the youth of Assam. He said he would also create awareness among people on the government's slogan of jati, mati, bheti.
I said his comments could lead to deterioration of the law and order situation". Nath added: "I said the enforcement of Section 144, restricting public meetings, formal and informal or interaction with the media, will stand as it is. But he can go to any place and talk on communal harmony or positive things. There is no problem. Only he cannot deliver any inflammatory speech".