Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Saturday said the Assam Accord had become outdated and needed to be amended by inserting a clause that would provide for India taking punitive action against Bangladesh if it did not stop illegal immigration, take them back or compensate for the influx by giving land to India.
Addressing a press conference at the Circuit House here, Dr. Swamy also said that sealing of the India-Bangladesh border was not a solution to the problem of illegal immigration and India should tell Bangladesh that there would be consequences if it did not cooperate.
He, however, said that if an illegal Muslim immigrant was ready to convert to Hinduism then he could be allowed to stay in India.
ADVERTISEMENT
Dr. Swamy, when asked to comment on Mr. Modi’s poll speech that illegal immigrants would have to leave after May 17, said that the Prime Minister had not set any time frame and he should be given at least one year’s time before attempting any review as to what he had done.
The BJP leader said that only the present National Democratic Alliance government would be able to solve the problem.
He alleged that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government encouraged illegal immigration for vote bank politics.
ADVERTISEMENT