India belongs to Indians, not to illegal immigrants: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju

The Indian government has said in past that nobody should preach India on the issue of immigrants and Rohingya as the country has absorbed the maximum number of refugees in the world.

The pro-Khalistan referendum 2020 rally has drawn the ire of the Indian government, which has called it a 'separatist activity, which impinges on India’s territorial integrity.'

In an exclusive interview to WION, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said that Rohingya infiltrators and other illegal immigrants are getting support from fringe elements within the country.

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“India belongs to Indians and NRC is an exercise to ensure that the country does not get swamped by the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh,” Rijiju said.

Here are the excerpts from the interview.

WION: How seriously is the government taking the 2020 referendum in London?

Kiren Rijiju: One has to understand India’s traditional position on such issues. India is a democratic country and we do not get into affairs of other countries. The cases which affect India’s security or image, certain steps kick into action. Such events do not have any bearing on India’s sovereignty, security and interests. During my bi-lateral meetings in the UK, I had raised issues which are connected to the protests.

WION: Of late there has been a fillip in pro-Khalistan activities in the UK and Canada. Your comments?

Kiren Rijiju: During my London visit, I had raised the issue. I told my counterpart that India has no issue with democratic protests but the funds which are flowing in from Canada to the UK must be checked and anti-India activities must not be allowed to take place on their soil. I communicated this to the UK authority very clearly.

WION: What do you have to say on the arrests which have been made by ATS Maharashtra in which the role of the fringe has become very evident?

Kiren Rijiju: Anybody from any organization should not breach the law of the land. I don’t want to add any colour to the action taken by the state agencies. Whether it is a fringe element or mainstream element, illegal is illegal, irrespective of religion.

Maharashtra government must have taken steps based on law. Law enforcement agencies are given free hand to act and they are capable of dealing with such situations. I was a union minister, should not get into what should be done and what should not be done. Law and Order is a state subject and must be left to the state governments.

WION: What will be the end result of the NRC exercise?

Kiren Rijiju: NRC is absolutely necessary for the state of Assam. It should have been done along time back. The Assam Accord was signed in 1985 but the Congress government did not do anything. Now under the supervision of the Supreme Court, efforts are being made to complete NRC exercise. Now it is a draft publication. Those who are left out will have the option to apply.

Our stand is that it is a commitment from the government of India to the people of Assam. The agitation in the 1980s led to the Assam Accord. It was disturbing to see Congress leaders making a claim that there are no illegal immigrants. What can be more tragic can this? They wanted to make a mockery of the Assam Accord. But Congress did not act on Accord. NRC process has to be completed. India belongs to Indians. Those who are not Indians need to be recorded and subsequently removed from NRC.

WION: What will you do with illegals?

Kiren Rijiju: I do not want to get into numbers. There could be genuine Indians on the list as well. Let us finish the task in our hands and let us not get bogged down by as to what will happen in the future.

WION: How badly is the demography of Assam affected?

Kiren Rijiju: It has changed to a large extent and many people thought that it is irreversible. But by the NRC process, we will be able to check as to where it stands today. The damage has been done.

WION: Lot of political parties feel that this may lead to a witch hunt?

Kiren Rijiju:The Opposition will take a political angle to this issue as it would affect their vote banks. Vote bank politics does not exist for BJP. Nation's interest is supreme for BJP. For Congress and TMC, illegal immigrants are their vote banks. That is why Congress is confused today.

WION: What steps have your government taken? Rohingya camps still exist in Delhi and Jammu region?

Kiren Rijiju: Earlier, Congress used to get benefits from illegal immigrants. Their leaders in Assam have realized that it cannot do it anymore. Rohingyas have made ways to Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Jaipur and many parts of Uttar Pradesh. They have also entered Manipur.

WION: You are in the government. How is this happening?

Kiren Rijiju: The illegal immigrants are coming to India through agents. There are elements in our country that are supporting and protecting them.

WION: Who are these elements?

Kiren Rijiju: We need to zero in on these elements who are facilitating the illegal immigrants. This needs to stop. It is a racket and elements in the Indian territory are abetting this. It is shameful. We are already committed to helping out the Bangladeshi government on Rohingya refugees. We have been soft on the issue of immigration but it should not be misused against us. We have allowed illegal immigrants to come to India. Our national resources are not for the illegal immigrants. Our national resources are for the Indians.

WION: Should there be NRC in states like West Bengal and Bihar?

Kiren Rijiju: These are the issues which will be taken up at a due time but the job at hand needs to be finished first.

WION: What has your government done to finish the fencing?

Kiren Rijiju: We have border fencing with both Pakistan and Bangladesh. We will be able to finish the border fencing on the Bangladesh border by end of this year. Yes, there are areas which cannot be fenced because of the topography. Rest will be fenced by the end of this year. We are using technologies in areas where physical fencing is not possible. Crossing over to India illegally would not be easy.

WION: What happened to the Naga Accord?

Kiren Rijiju: Lot of progress has been made but I cannot give a timeline. There are related issues in this complex issues and all need to be addressed simultaneously through discussions. The government is serious about this issue.

WION: Is situation in control in Kashmir?

Kiren Rijiju: We are absolutely under control. This government was criticized for national interest.

WION: Many people would say that you sacrificed the government because you were receiving brickbats in north India?

Kiren Rijiju: Whatever be the perception, national interest is supreme and the situation is under control. There are incidents because the situation is challenging but under control.

WION: What about anti-terrorist operations in Kashmir? Have they received the desired results?

Kiren Rijiju: Definitely. This is a strong government. You will see the results.