India Terms Repatriation of Alleged Illegal Bangladeshis the 'Core Issue' in Push-In Row

New Delhi: India on Thursday termed the repatriation of alleged undocumented Bangladeshi nationals as the "core issue", after Bangladesh warned it would act if "push-in" incidents increased following the BJP's victory in the West Bengal assembly elections.

Speaking at the weekly briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 2,860 nationality verification cases were pending with Bangladesh, some for more than five years.

"These comments must be seen in the context of the core issue of repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis from India," Jaiswal stated. "This obviously requires cooperation from Bangladesh."

India said it expected Bangladesh to "expedite nationality verification so that repatriation of illegal immigrants can take place in a smooth manner".

Jaiswal's comments were in response to question about Bangladesh foreign minister Khalilur Rahman stating on Tuesday that Dhaka would "take action if push-in incidents occur amid the change of power in West Bengal." The Bangladesh Nationalist Party's official Facebook page posted his statement with a graphic and message in Bengali.

India's response effectively framed the controversial push-ins as a consequence of delays by Bangladesh in responding to requests for nationality verification.

The Bangladeshi minister was also asked about remarks by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who publicly admitted to pushing individuals across the border. "When the chief minister of Assam made that statement and admitted that he had done certain things, you saw that we protested. We will take whatever steps are required on that matter," Rahman said.

Bangladesh had summoned India's acting high commissioner Pawan Badhe to the foreign ministry on April 30 over Sarma's remarks. It was the first formal protest lodged by the new BNP government since it took office.

At Thursday's briefing, asked specifically about Sarma's admission that Assam pushes people across the border rather than going through the MEA, Jaiswal did not address the chief minister's statements directly. He instead repeated the same formulation, telling reporters they "must focus that there is a core issue which needs to be looked into."

"I gave the details of the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, whose data we have shared with the Bangladeshi side for the confirmation of their nationality, so that, in a smooth manner, people can be repatriated," Jaiswal said. "And we expect that Bangladesh will take due action in this regard, so that we can proceed with repatriation of illegal foreign nationals who are here, in a smooth manner and as per established mechanisms."

Two major Indian states bordering Bangladesh, Assam and West Bengal, organised state assembly elections last month, which was won by Bharatiya Janta Party after they campaigned on the issue of "Bangladeshi infiltrators".

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