The issue of illegal migrants has reached even the highest talk of the country. Most of the states in India suffer from this issue today, and our state (Nagaland) is not exempted from it and its deadly consequences. This has become a daily phenomenon in our country that continues to increase e.g; - approximately 6000 Bangladeshi illegal migrants are entering Assam daily (read census report table 2001). That means by 2015, illegal migrants in Assam alone will be more than the entire population of North East. In Tripura, 80% of population in 1950 was tribal & 20% Bengalis, but now it has reversed. According to 2001 census, Nagaland has 19, 90,036. It must be about 2.5 million or 25 lakhs by now and have about 5 lakhs illegal migrants (including ILP defaulters), out o these, 90% are Bangladeshi illegal migrants, and 95% of them are Muslims.
Two of its dangerous impacts, (out of many) in our society today are their control over economic and political matters, which many of us are not aware of. For instance, in Assam, they control 40% of politics and nearly 50% of Assam’s economy. Uniqueness of Nagaland is that, we do not have data, no control over illegal migrants, give them all political and economic rights, thus they have become indispensable to our society which is the most dangerous thing. Even if some illegal migrants are put behind the bar or deported by authority, their owner (master) will do anything to bail them out. They are also trusted agents of influential persons like GB, village council chairman and officers of both over and undergrounds leaders. Today, a Naga GB may not trust his man, but he shares his secrets with these illegal migrants, who are so entrenched in our society. We have outsourced everything to them including axone preparation. They have started adopting local names, and we are adopting them as sons, daughters and relatives. We are also issuing them various documents such as permanent resident certificate (PRC), ration cards and voters ID without even knowing them well. They engage in cultivation, domestic helps, carpentry, masonry, cart pullers, taxi drivers, business and trades, liquor and drug dealers, prostitution, human trafficking even teachers and government servants. These have led them control major economic activities in Dimapur and Kohima, (90% of shops in Dimapur are kept closed on ID-ul-Adha Day). If it is true that Nagaland has 5 lakh of illegal migrants, and each migrant earns Rs. 100/day, it comes to 5 crores Rs/day. Now, if we divide it by 85,000 Naga educated unemployed, it comes out around 588.23 Rs/day and 17467 Rs/month for each of them. Surely, it is not a peanut. According to their daily earning, it comes around 150 crores Rs/Month or 1800 crores Rs/year. Is it double of annual budget of Nagaland Government? Who earns and who saves in our land? Or who is the King maker or the King himself?
(The writer is not trying to offend illegal migrants. We should love them, but we can not afford to let people one day over numbered us in our land. It is good to help and love them since, it is a Christian value, but we should also think about the future consequence which is very serious matter. We should keep in our mind that, our present selfish act may one day destroy our coming generation’s future.)
Jetovi Chishi
