P Chidambaram: Bangla citizens are getting too many visas

Illegal migration from Bangladesh has become a major cause of concern for home minister P. Chidambaram, who “sees no reason” why a large number of visas are being issued to Bangladeshis. Security agencies, on the other hand, are increasingly alarmed over gaps in the Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Pakistan border fencing, which serve as entry points for both illegal migrants and terrorists crossing over into India. The states causing concern include Gujarat, West Bengal, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram. The home minister also feels that these porous borders and illegal immigration were causing “unexpected demographic changes” in the country.

Mr Chidambaram, in an interview to NDTV, meanwhile, also said he was concerned about the huge influx of Bangladeshis into the country every month, many of whom were “staying back” even after their visas expired. He saw “no reason” why such a large number of visas should be issued to Bangladeshis every month. Mr Chidambaram’s statement could well take the sting out of a major BJP campaign theme: on the illegal entry of Bangladeshis into India.

The home minister acknowledged that the existing mechanism to monitor whether a Bangladeshi who had legally entered had indeed returned to his country after expiry of his visa was “ineffective”.

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