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    Bengal BJP sets riders for signing Teesta water pact

    Synopsis

    The refugee cell of Bengal wrote a letter to the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on May 25. The letter raised the issue of refugees from Bangladesh in Bengal and Assam.

    ET Bureau
    KOLKATA: Reiterating its request, the Bengal unit of BJP has appealed to Union Home Minster Rajnath Singh not to sign the Teesta water sharing treaty with Bangladesh without consulting it. The party has also expressed con cern over the Citizenship Bill which is expected to be tabled during the monsoon session of the Parliament.

    "The interest of West Bengal is in question.Teesta water sharing is one of them, refugee issue is the other. We have requested the Centre to consult all stakeholders before the draft agreement is prepared," said Professor Mohit Roy, a senior leader of the party, who researches on Bangladesh issues.

    The refugee cell of Bengal wrote a letter to the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on May 25. The letter raised the issue of refugees from Bangladesh in Bengal and Assam. ET has a copy of the letter. "Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has promised Bangladeshi-free Assam but he is silent on the fate of Hindu refugees from Bangladesh. The AGP is not in favour of giving residential status of Hindu refugees from Bangladesh," states the letter dated May 25.

    "It is very important that West Bengal BJP takes up the issue as the fate of millions of refugees in West Bengal is dependent on that. Also, any bill on refugee issue cannot be prepared without consulting West Bengal BJP. We should know the content of the bill, suggest our views and should see that the interest of the refugees is satisfied," the letter further adds.

    Dilip Ghosh, state president of BJP said that they have sent some suggestions to the Centre and they want them to be incorporated in the bill. "We have asked for citizenship for the Hindu refugees. The government should record details of the the refugees about their origins, the reasons of leaving Bangladesh and so on. After the implementation of the Act, the government should immediately initiate deportation process for infiltrators."

    "We have consulted all stakeholders regarding the Citizenship Bill. We are expecting it to be passed in this session," said senior BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh told ET. "Teesta issue will take some more time to be resolved," he said.


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