No infiltration in Tripura: Sarkar

AGARTALA: Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar on Tuesday brushed aside infiltration charges and reiterated that Tripura was free of such problems.
He said this while addressing a gathering at a book release event.
He alleged that a vested interest group was raising the issue of infiltration from the neighbouring country, without foolproof evidence, only to to harm the relationship with Bangladesh.
Referring to the working president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Pravin Togadia, Sarkar said, "This was an attempt to disturb the communal harmony and religious integrity in the bordering state."
"Togadia can be a great leader, but he cannot make comments on the rising illegal immigration from Bangladesh and ask for conducting DNA tests of the Muslims living in the country illegally. His statements are meant to incite unrest in the state. But, I believe the people of Tripura would not allow it to happen," the CM said.
Tripura does not have any instance or record of migration from Bangladesh, which is evident from the census report, Sarkar said and added that there was no scope of illegal settlement by any foreigner in Tripura as the administration was vigilant over such issues.
Appreciating the initiatives of both India and Bangladesh, the CM said the relationship between Tripura and Bangladesh has been strengthened through hassle-free road connectivity from Agartala to Kolkata via Dhaka.
"People to people contact, trade and cultural relations between the two nations have showed a remarkable improvement in the recent past. It will be improved further if Agartala is connected to Akhaura in Bangladesh. If air connectivity is established, more bilateral projects will be implemented," Sarkar commented. "The road connectivity between our state and Bangladesh has become regular and reliable now. There is an effort to improve the connectivity with the country through waterways too," he added.