TIPRA Motha chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma has said that India’s immediate plan amid the Bangladesh turmoil is to protect its people rather than give asylum seekers space to flood the indigenous population of the Northeast.
Deb Barma pointed out that the region has and is bearing the brunt of illegal infiltration from across the border and with the current situation in the neighbouring country there is an immediate threat, which the centre safeguard the indigenous people.
“An unstable Bangladesh is a threat to our future and our survival. If the government of India needs to protect the indigenous people of the Northeast they will have to give us land rights, economic power and they will have to constitutionally protect us,” he said.
Stating that India’s entire strategy on Bangladesh is based on one family, that of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, he said, “Today the family is no longer relevant and India’s plan B has to be to protect its own people first rather than give asylum and allow people from that country to crossover here and flood the indigenous population.”
Deb Barma said that the Northeast is the frontline of the country and if these areas are besieged by people from Bangladesh, India will not be protected. “It is not only the protection of our people. If India needs to be protected they have to first protect the people on the frontline, the Bodos, Khasis, Tripuris, Garos, Jaintia, Karbis.”
“We are Indians, first protect us then think about protecting people from Bangladesh and if India wants to be secure then they have to trust their own citizens before allowing people to come in,” he added.
The TIPRA Motha chief said that the government must have a policy to empower the indigenous people of the region not only constitutionally but also financially, through education, rights, economic independence and political freedom as well as to decide what is right and what is wrong.
