Gogoi fumes as Modi tweets against PM over B'deshi issue

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday took strong exception to a comment made by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's on Prime Minster Dr Manmohan Singh.

Reacting sharply to Modi's statement: 'Assam and FDI issues prove PMji has redefined our democracy as 'a government of foreigners, by foreigners and for foreigners', Assam CM Gogoi tweeted, "It is a great insult to the nation, particularly Assam." 

Gogoi said Modi tried to rake up the issue with an eye on the assembly elections in Gujarat.

"Will Modi reply what steps did the national Democratic Alliance government initiate to prevent infiltration from Bangladesh to Assam while they were in power at the Centre. The Bharatiya Janata Party only raises the issue at the time of elections for narrow political gains and leave it in the lurch while in power," he said.

Gogoi had earlier called upon both the opposition BJP and Asom Gana Parishad in Assam to publish white papers on the steps taken by these parties while they in power to check the 'illegal migration' from Bangladesh and for detection and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi migrants from Assam.

The incumvent Congress government in Assam is preparing to publish a white paper on the steps taken by the party's governments in Assam so far to tackle the problem of illegal migration from Bangladesh.

The government has also taken steps to set up more foreigners' tribunals for early disposal of cases related to suspected illegal migrants while three years deadline has been set for updating the National Register of Citizens of 1951 on the basis of 1971 voters' list in order to simplify the process of detection and deportation of illegal migrants in the State. 

However, the influential All Assam Students' Union has demanded that the NRC must be updated before the next Lok Sabha election scheduled to be held in the year 2014.

A resolution to update the NRC in Assam was taken in a tripartite meeting on the implementatin of cluases of Assam Accord held on May 5, 2005 among the governments of India, Assam and All Assam Students' Union.

The Assam Accord was signed in 1985 by the government with the leaders of Assam Agitation that lasted for six years demanding detection and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi migrants from Assam.