Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma voiced grave concerns regarding the longstanding issue of illegal immigration from Bangladesh into the State. Speaking at a gathering in Jharkhand, he highlighted the seriousness of the situation, noting that this challenge has persisted for four decades.
“When infiltration from Bangladesh started 40 years ago, Congress was the ruling party. They did not realise what the outcome of this infiltration would be 40 years later. Today, the number of infiltrators from Bangladesh in Assam is 1.25 crore. This issue cannot be resolved with a mere statement. It has become a serious problem, and the Assamese people have lost their identity. That’s why I am asking the people of Jharkhand not to make the same mistake as Assam and West Bengal. Do not let Rohingyas infiltrate your State,” cautioned the Chief Minister.
The CM outlined the necessity for concrete actions rather than mere rhetoric to address this multifaceted issue. He urged against repeating past mistakes and called on stakeholders to take proactive measures to safeguard the State’s security and integrity.
Expressing heightened concerns, CM Himanta drew attention to the diminishing presence of temples and alleged instances of Hindu women falling victim to what he referred to as “love jihad.” He stressed the imperative of safeguarding Hindu heritage sites and ensuring the protection of Hindu communities in Assam, citing financial contributions from individuals like Alamgir Alam and raising questions about potential threats faced by Hindus in the region.
The Enforcement Directorate or ED apprehended Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam, a prominent Congress leader in connection with a money laundering case on May 15. The 70-year-old minister was arrested at the agency’s zonal office in Ranchi under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act-PMLA following extensive interrogation sessions.
Alam had undergone questioning for over nine hours the previous day, during which his statement was recorded. His arrest followed the earlier detention of his personal secretary, Sanjeev Kumar Lal, and Lal’s domestic aide, Jahangir Alam, after a substantial amount of over Rs 32 crore in cash was discovered from an associated flat.
The ED’s ongoing money laundering probe focuses on allegations of irregularities and purported payment of “bribes” within the State’s Rural Development department. The agency revealed to a special PMLA court in Ranchi that Lal had been collecting “commission” on behalf of influential figures, implicating government officials across various levels within the Rural department in an alleged nexus of illicit cash transactions.
