Guwahati: A day after his controversial remark that Hindustan is for Hindus, Assam Governor P B Acharya here on Sunday stirred a fresh controversy by stating that Indian Muslims who feel persecuted in India are free to go to Pakistan.
Mr Acharya while clarifying his controversial remarks that Hindustan is for Hindus told reporters that any Indian origin people persecuted in Bangladesh or anywhere in the world have legitimate right to come back to India for shelter.
He said, “I didn’t mean Hindustan is for Hindus only, persecuted Hindus anywhere have a right to seek shelter here.”
When asked if Muslims persecuted in Bangladesh are also welcome, he said “Why not? Taslima Nasreen has come to India...Originally Bangladesh was part of India and the people were Indian. But during partition, a large number of Indian Muslims went to Pakistan.” Reiterating that India remains the most tolerant nation of the world, Mr Acharya however said that if any Muslim in India feels that he is being persecuted, he is free to go to Pakistan or for that matter any country in the world for shelter.
In an obvious attempt to clarify his controversial remarks, which invited criticism, Mr Acharya warned the forces inimical to development of India and called upon people to discourage such elements from taking the center-stage.
Pointing out that some forces with “international agenda” were trying to derail the ongoing updating of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state, Mr Achrya said, “There may be a few elements with international agenda who are trying to derail the entire process. They also intend to see that northeast remains a troubled zone.”
Though, he declined to name the forces inimical to the interest of Assam and Northeast. “These elements should not be entertained at all,” the Governor said.
“Despite extra time allotted to complete the updating of NRC, reports suggest that the work will not be completed within stipulated time frame. Considering its importance and urgent need, the completion of the work needs to be expedited,” he added.
The updated NRC should not have a single foreigner and all legitimate Indians should be included in the list so that the Assembly election in 2016 could be held with an updated NRC, Mr Acharya said.
“It is not a question of religion. It is a question of nationalism and security. Inclusion of foreigners and omission of Indians will be detrimental to the security of India. Proper NRC may prove to be the beginning of a vibrant and strong Assam and Northeast,” he said.
Mr Acharya also informed that he had called the State Coordinator of NRC Prateek Hajela and asked him to expedite the process.
