Illegal migrant issue: Is MEA losing the direction given by PM?

Illegal immigrants from Bangla Desh: Is MEA losing the direction given by PM?

During the election campaign, Narendra Modi had said “all Bangladeshi infiltrators will have to go after May 17”. Even if one cannot expect that all illegal immigrants from Bangla Desh would leave the country voluntarily on Narendra Modi becoming the PM of India, it is interesting to see the utterances of MEA in this regard.

Describing illegal immigration from Bangladesh as a “sensitive issue”, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has underlined the need for consultations with all stakeholders to carefully handle the problem along India’s nearly 4,000-km porous border with its eastern neighbour.

MEA Sushma Swaraj said “we want to address the issue through consultations with all stakeholders… The issue is also important for both the countries on security front.”

The most worrying is she is talking about “discussion with the stake holders”. Now who are these stakeholders? She did not elaborate.

The plain meaning of the word ‘stakeholder’ is ‘persons who have an interest in a deal or arrangement’. There is no other meaning to this word in the given context.

Thus MEA Sushma Swaraj has accepted that there are ‘persons’ having interest in the illegal immigrant issue. Who are these elements having vested interest or who are supposed to be the ‘stakeholders’ in illegal immigrant issues?

Possible stakeholder:

1) Human traffickers?

2) Mamta Banerjee?

3) Illegal labour Vote Bank?

4) Congress?

5) Naxal/Terrorists Mafia?

MEA cannot get away with such loose talk of discussion with ‘stakeholders’ without any logical and palatable clarification. She has to tell us about the identity of these ‘stakeholders’. She also has to clarify why is it necessary to talk to these elements described as ‘stakeholders’. Unless she does this, sooner than later, she is raising many more issues.

If there is terrorist attack in India, is Sushma Swaraj going to talk with LeT, JuD, ISI, IM, et el as they are the undisputed ‘stakeholders’ in the terrorists’ activities in India. If ‘YES’, she should forthwith be removed from MEA. If ‘NO’, she should explain the loose reference to ‘stakeholders’.

Everyone understands that Narendra Modi’s talk that illegal immigrants would have to leave after May 17, 2014 was only election rhetoric. The task is uphill and it cannot be achieved overnight. However, what is the compelling political reason for MEA Sushma Swaraj to reduce it to a ‘childish blabber’? Given her demonstrated discomfiture over Narendra Modi first being nominated as PM candidate and then actually becoming the PM, is she trying to scuttle his efforts to act decisively against illegal migrants from Bangla Desh?

This is what Tarun Gogoi has to say: “Illegal immigration from Bangladesh was their (the BJP’s) Number one issue during the election campaign. But once they got votes of the people of Assam, they have now chosen to forget it. Media reports suggest that Sushma Swaraj did not discuss about influx during her Dhaka visit. Why? What happened? Why was it put in the back-burner? Modi had, during his election campaign said all Bangladeshi infiltrators will have to go after May 17. Now that he does not talk about it, I presume that he thinks all the Bangladeshis have already left after that date”

We have had MEAs of the likes of S M Krishna and Shashi Thoroor and Salman Khurshid, who made the office of MEA irrelevant by their various acts of omission and commission.

It seems PM Narendra Modi has an uphill task!