New Delhi: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday sharply criticised activist and former Planning Commission member Syeda Hameed over her remarks suggesting that Bangladeshis can live in India.
Condemning her remarks, the Union Minister accused her of misleading people in the “name of humanity” and suggested she should not support illegal migrants.
Syeda Hameed was a member of the Planning Commission of India during the UPA government.
In a social media post on X, Rijiju shared her video and captioned, “Misleading in the name of humanity. It’s about our land and identity. Why the minority Buddhists, Christians, Hindus & Sikhs in Bangladesh and Pakistan are persecuted & tortured? Sayeda Hameed may be closest to Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi, but shouldn’t support illegal migrants.”
In the video shared by Union Minister Rijiju, Syeda Hameed was seen saying, “What is wrong in being Bangladeshi? Bangladeshis are humans too, and the world is so big, they can live here (India), they are not depriving anyone of their rights… Saying that they are depriving someone of their rights is troublesome, extremely mischievous, and detrimental to humanity.”
Notably, the BJP leaders have raised their concerns multiple times over the “rising” population of “illegal immigrants” primarily from Bangladesh to the northeastern states of the country.
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the increasing population of illegal immigrants in the country is a matter of concern, and to tackle the danger, he has proposed a demographic mission, which will begin its work shortly.
He further alleged that the Congress and the RJD wanted to take away the rights of the people of Bihar and give them to illegal immigrants as part of their appeasement policies to further their vote bank.
Referring to his Independence Day speech, PM Modi said, “From the Red Fort, I have talked about the danger of infiltrators. Bihar is facing danger too. The increasing population of intruders in the country is a matter of concern. In the bordering areas of Bihar, demography is rapidly changing. The NDA government has decided not to let illegal immigrants decide the future of our country. We will not let immigrants take away the jobs meant for the people of Bihar. We will not let illegal immigrants rob the rights of the Indians.”
On 79th Independence Day, Prime Minister Modi, from the ramparts of Red Fort, announced the launch of a ‘High-Power Demography Mission’, citing concerns over demographic changes in border areas and said that it is a threat to national security.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has taken a firm stance against Bangladeshi infiltrators, emphasising that his government will not tolerate any attempts to alter the state’s demography.