The Hindu : National : Mixed reaction to court verdict

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Wednesday, Jul 13, 2005

National

National

Mixed reaction to court verdict

Special Correspondent

Congress `committed' to detect and deport foreigners; historic, says BJP

— PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR

SCENE OF JUBILATION: All-Assam Student Union members celebrating the Supreme Court judgment striking down the Illegal Migrants (Determination through Tribunal) Act, in Guwahati on Tuesday.

GUWAHATI: The Supreme Court ruling striking down the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act 1983 has evoked a mixed reaction in the State. While the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hailed the verdict, the ruling Congress and minorities organisations were guarded in their comment.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that the State Government was not aware on what grounds the Supreme Court had ordered the repeal of the Act and was awaiting a copy of the judgment. Mr. Gogoi, however, stated that the State Government and the Congress had all along supported the Act as it provided a provision to detect foreigners through a judicial process so that no genuine Indian citizens were harassed while detecting and deporting foreigners.

The Chief Minister reiterated that his Government was committed to detect and deport foreigners in accordance with the Assam Accord and to give full protection to genuine Indian citizens from harassment.

AASU adviser Samujjal Kumar Bhattcharyya described the verdict "victory of the people of Assam." The AASU also congratulated the petitioner, Sarbananda Sonowal, who had filed the petition as former president of the AASU and former chairman of the North East Students' Organisation (NESO). The AASU headquarters here witnessed jubilation with activists of the student body bursting crackers to hail the apex court verdict.

Congress game plan exposed: AGP

Welcoming the verdict, the AGP said it exposed the Congress game plan for the past 22 years of imposing the Act on the people of Assam for its narrow vote bank politics. Party general secretary Hitendra Nath Goswami said that the AGP had been demanding the repeal of the act as it only protected the illegal Bangladeshi migrants.

In a statement BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan described the verdict "historic, appropriate and in consonance with the feelings and emotions of the people of Assam." Mr. Mahajan said the BJP was the only national party which stood for the repeal of the Act.

"The decision of the Supreme Court has confirmed what the BJP was already stating about the IMDT Act, that it served no purpose and was in fact protecting hordes of illegal migrants in Assam," Mr. Mahajan said.

Welcoming the verdict, veteran CPI leader Pramode Gogoi urged the Assam government to take immediate steps for implementation of the Foreigners' Act 1946 relating to detection and deportation of illegal migrants. Mr. Gogoi said that the Supreme Court judgment showed that the Act was violative of the provisions of the Constitution.

The State unit of the CPI (M) termed it "an important judgment" and said it was now the duty of the Centre to take appropriate action in this regard. State CPM secretary Uddhab Barman said that his party, however, was of the view that rights of the genuine Indian citizens belonging to minority communities as well as the rights of local people should be protected while detecting and deporting illegal migrants.

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